Comfort Zone
by jesswood
Summary: Callie and Arizona are married and trying to get their life back to normal after the car accident. However, obstacles will always find a way to present themselves at Seattle Grace Hospital. When something so terrible happens, how do you overcome it?
1. Chapter 1

_Comfort Zone_

**Author's Introduction: Some information about this fanfiction: **

**This fanfic has somewhat of an Alternate Universe quality to it – however, most things are still the same. **

**This is primarily a Calzona fanfic, however, there will be mention of other characters, too, to keep the story interesting and not monotonous. **

**It begins 3 months after the car accident that Callie and Arizona were involved in. While Arizona was in Africa, Callie had still slept with Mark, however, she never got pregnant. Therefore, Sofia does not and will not exist in this fanfiction. The recovery process for Callie is the same, just without the baby complications and factors. This also means that Mark is in no way a third-wheel in Calzona's relationship. Callie and Arizona are married.**

**Izzie Stevens is still working at Seattle Grace hospital after recovering from cancer. **

**Addison Montgomery is still working at Seattle Grace hospital, and still works in Peds. However, Addison is only slightly higher in position to Arizona. The two are good friends in this fanfic. **

**Mark is still in pursuit of Lexie Grey. They are clearly still in love, but both are acting childish about it. Mark has yet to tell Lexie that he slept with Callie, again. **

**Meredith and Derek are together, but Zola does not exist. They are still trying to get Meredith pregnant and have their own child.**

**Teddy's husband, Henry, is still alive.**

**Anything written in **_**italics **_**is considered narration by Meredith Grey, such as during the episodes of Grey's Anatomy. **

** Anyway! Enough of that! Enjoy! I will try to update as frequently as I can, and I appreciate every review/comment, as it keeps me motivated to continue writing! Thank you for reading. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this Fanfiction, nor do I have any intention of claiming ownership of anything related to Grey's Anatomy. Everything belongs to Shonda Rhimes, ABC, and the entirety of the show "Grey's Anatomy." However, the plot in this fanfic belongs to me, and me alone. **

**Chapter 1**

_Comfort. We take solace in the fact that the people we know, the surroundings around us, and the place we live in will always be there for us. We take it for granted... we use it to our advantage. We begin to assign ourselves a certain amount of entitlement to it. Change... well, change is what shakes up our tranquility – presents challenges to our comfort zone. And when that zone is breached, we fight as hard as we can to preserve it. _

Arizona knocked on the door to the psychiatric appointment room carefully, with only three thuds. She had just finished her shift, it was late, and she had to drive Callie home. Despite the fact that they lived across the street from the hospital, it was pouring rain just like typical Seattle, and Arizona refused to let her wife get drenched and possibly fall victim to a nasty cold.

After a moment, Dr. Andrew Perkins answered the door and opened it widely to reveal Callie. She was sitting in a chair with her hands scrunched up into her hair, her face contorted to a very annoyed expression.

"Ah – Dr. Perkins, I'm sorry to interrupt the session, I just – ..." Arizona started, but Andrew stopped her, "No need for apologies, Dr. Robbins. We were just about finished." He said with a half-smile, offering it as if he was just trying to be nice. He seemed almost relieved for the intrusion. Callie lifted her eyes from the floor and shook her head, looking to her wife and pointing at the psychiatrist, "This ass will not freaking clear me for surgery! It has been 3 months... that is approximately 90 days of physical therapy, mental therapy, and a hell of a whole lot of no surgery. I mean for my patients, not me." Arizona couldn't help but reveal her dimples in a smile as her wife ranted, she thought Callie was adorable when she was frustrated, but she understood her pain. The blonde turned to Dr. Perkins and raised an eyebrow, "Why won't you clear her, then? She seems back to her old self to me." The man sighed and rested his back against his desk, and crossed his arms. "Really? Tell me, then, when was the last time Callie consented to operating a motorized vehicle?" Callie groaned and rolled her eyes, "Really? Seriously? You aren't clearing me for surgery because I won't drive my car across the street to my house? I live not even 3 minutes away in walking distance." Andrew shook his head, "That's beside the point, Callie." The Latina clenched her teeth and stood up, "You're gonna be beside my fist here in a second if you don't –" But she was stopped by Arizona intervening between the two bodies, "Calliope Iphegenia Torres." Callie stopped, mortified by the use of her middle name. Arizona continued, "Listen, baby. Calliope. All you need to do is drive home, and then I can tell Dr. Perkins you are ready to be cleared for surgery, okay?"

Callie hated it when she was wrong. She hated it even more when Arizona was right. But she was always right, it seemed. Callie let out a breath finally, and nodded. Arizona took hold of her wife's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll be right next to you the entire time. And remember, we live just across the street." Callie turned to the psychiatrist and laughed a single chuckle, "I swear, if you don't clear me after this..." Dr. Perkins held up his hands in defense, "Hey. Give me some credit. I know what an amazing surgeon you are. I _want _you to go back to cracking bones. You just gotta be ready for it." Callie nodded once before turning and exiting the room. Arizona thanked Andrew, and followed her wife to the parking lot.

The two women stood just in front of the entrance to the hospital, within the building. Callie stood staring outside, through the rain, at their recently purchased black SUV. Arizona had her arm outstretched towards Callie, the keys to the car dangling freely from one finger. "You can do this. You. Are. Amazing. Plus, you haven't gone through 90 days of rehabilitation for nothing." With these words, Arizona placed a soft, loving kiss on Callie's cheek. This seemed to break the brunette's daze, and she smiled, turning to look into the bright blue eyes that always gave her strength. Callie grabbed the keys from Arizona's finger, and moved to walk towards the parking lot, all in one quick movement.

They rushed through the rain towards the car, and Callie pushed the button to unlock the doors so they could enter the car. The women practically jumped into the car to escape the cold rain. Callie slowly placed the keys into the ignition, and turned the car on. She flicked the headlights on, engaged the windshield wipers, and clicked her seatbelt into place. Releasing the brake, she looked at Arizona's eyes one last time before beginning, "Thank you. I... I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you. I don't mean just tonight. I mean... the past 3 months. Just, thank you." Arizona tilted her head slightly as a smile spread across her lips, "Thank you for getting better," she replied, "Thank you for living. For me, for yourself. I love you so much." Callie leaned over to kiss her wife's lips passionately, placing a palm on the blonde's cheek lovingly. "I love you too. Now let's go home."

Callie accelerated and pulled out of the parking lot, crossing the street after a few cars had passed, and carefully parked in the driveway of their apartment building. Though it had been a very small feat in the eyes of anyone else, Callie had just overcome her final haunting demon. She had driven a car for the first time since her accident, with her wife by her side. As she released her seatbelt, she grinned devilishly, "Time to get back to kicking ass and cracking bones." Arizona laughed, and they both ran into their apartment, once again evading Seattle's unforgiving weather.

During the elevator ride up to their floor, Arizona embraced her wife closely... her arms wrapped securely around Callie's waist. "I am going to go to Dr. Perkins' office first thing tomorrow morning and demand that he clear you for surgery." Callie smiled and playfully said, "Mm, you better."

_And sometimes, change can be exactly what we need. _

**Please let me know what you think and if I should continue writing this fanfic! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_ Some days, we're more comfortable than others. We'll sit around in our PJ's, eat junk food until our stomachs are sure to explode, and not care what a single soul has to think about it. But there are those days that occur every once in a while that has a strange... anxious feeling to it. We don't know why, we don't know what it means... until... we do. _

"Arizona," Callie started, her ear pressed to the phone, supporting it with her shoulder as she eats cheese-puffs from a bowl. She was lounging on the sofa, her body elongated from arm-rest to arm-rest, her legs crossed in an elegant but comfortable manner. "Baby, what did Dr. Perkins say? I'm dying to know, and I'm running out of cheese-puffs here which is just all bad. I'm getting nervous, and I need to know if I'll be back – " Arizona knew she'd never get a word in at this point if she didn't say anything soon, "Calliope, listen. Liiiisten. Breathe. Okay, I talked to Andrew when I got here, and I signed a few papers. Basically, when he has an opening today, he will call you and officially clear you for surgery. Once he calls, I need you to sign the paper he gave me, and you should be back working tomorrow." Callie yelped with excitement, "YES! Yes, yes, yessss. Thank you baby! Thank you, thank you. I will see you at home tonight and you better believe there will be a celebration." She grinned to herself, and whispered, "Expect the unexpected." She giggled, and hung up the phone. She was ecstatic. Arizona laughed to herself at the hospital, shook her head, and slid her phone back into her lab coat pocket.

Once the phone was hung up, Callie jumped to her feet, practically knocking over the near-empty bowl of cheese-puffs and began dancing. In nothing but a t-shirt and a cute pink pair of underwear, she rhythmically maneuvered her way towards the stereo and pressed play. In an instant, an up-beat song was loudly filling the room. Callie bust out every dance move she knew, including shimmies, hip-grinding, head banging, and many other (much sexier) Latin moves.

Her back facing the door, Mark Sloan soon opened it, wondering what was going on so loudly in the still-early morning. Callie was unaware of his presence, and eventually turned around to catch a glimpse of a very confused Mark. She instantly stopped dancing, turned off the blasting music, and tried her best to cover her revealed body. "Mark, what the HELL. I thought you were at the hospital. _Why _aren't you at the damn hospital?" Mark laughed a throaty chuckle and plopped down onto the sofa, "I don't go in for another half hour. So what's with the dancing? Not that I minded, you dance as well as I fix scars... which is amazingly well, I might add." Callie had rushed to her bedroom to find sweatpants and a large, comfy sweater. She walked back into the living room and sat next to Mark, grabbing the bowl of cheese-puffs again. "I will be officially cleared for surgery by the end of the day. THAT is why I am dancing." Callie finally said, with a huge smile on her face. Mark grinned back and held up his hand, "That's what I like to hear! High-five, Torres!" They high-fived, and laughed. Mark stood up and was about to take his exit before he said, "It'll be great to have you back, Callie. Nobody can break bones and then fix 'em up again quite like you." Callie knew that this was Mark's best attempt at a compliment, and she smiled, "Thanks, Mark. It'll be great to be back." With that, he left.

_Then...there are times when, despite your best efforts at avoiding an uncomfortable situation, one will always present itself to you. You can ignore it, you can even try to stop it, but one thing's for sure... there's no stopping the inevitable. _

Addison had just paged Arizona for a second opinion consult on a patient who was recently admitted into the E.R., and the blonde was on her way to the room. The patient was a 7-year-old girl. She had chestnut brown hair that hung down to her shoulders, and straight-across bangs. Her skin was comparable to porcelain, and looked as though it might shatter if mishandled. Her hazel-green eyes were complemented by her hair, and they shone brightly as Arizona entered the room.

Addison pointed to Arizona, "Emily, this is Dr. Robbins. She is a very, very nice doctor who is going to help us decide what is best for you, okay?" The little girl nodded, then looked up to her mother, who wore a very visible worried expression. "Mommy, make sure you listen to her good. She has wheels in her shoes and I have wheels in my shoes, so I think she knows what she's talkin' bout." The three grown women in the room laughed at this comment, and Arizona sat down on the side of Emily's bed. She placed a reassuring hand on Emily's leg, and spoke, "Hi, Emily! I've heard so much about you." She said warmly, and Emily lit up like a Christmas tree. Apparently, this kind of recognition by Arizona was exactly what the little girl wanted.

Addison cleared her throat, and Arizona turned around. "Right...please proceed Dr. Montgomery." The red-head nodded and continued, "So, as you know, this is Emily Callaway. She was admitted to the E.R. with complaints of chronic migraines, mostly localized behind the eyes, and occasional slight loss of vision. We paged Shepherd for a Neuro consult and he requested an MRI. The scan came back showing evidence of a rather moderately sized tumor pressing against parts of the occipital lobe. Considering her age, I wanted to have a second opinion from you, Dr. Robbins, on how to proceed."

The sudden news that this beautiful, sweet little girl now had a possibly malignant tumor in her brain broke Arizona's heart. She had to fight back the tears, just like every time she heard news like this about a child. Arizona swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and spoke carefully, "Let me see the scans. I will take a look at them and get back to you within the hour." Addison handed her the charts and scans, nodded, and Arizona left the room.

Out in the hallway, Arizona held the scans up to the light to take another look. She knew that this was both a time-sensitive and age-sensitive situation, and also that she couldn't effectively make a decision without knowing her options. She paged Shepherd and waited for his arrival.

When Derek appeared, Arizona wheeled over to him and came to an abrupt stop. "Dr. Shepherd, take a look at these scans." She said, handing them to him. Derek shot a glance into Arizona's ocean blue eyes, then back to the scans. He shifted his weight to the opposite side of his body, and took a double-take at the scan. "How old did you say this patient was?" he asked. Arizona sighed, "She's 7." Derek shook his head in disbelief, "I... I can operate. It's not inoperable. But you should know the risks include death, of course, among many other things. Loss of vision, loss of speech... the list goes on and on. She's seven. She has a long life ahead of her if I can get this tumor out, unless it spread to other parts of her brain or other organs. If it's malignant, there's not much else we can do. But I can operate. I can look. She's seven...either she dies young, or she lives to hopefully be seventy someday. Talk to the parents, see what they think." Derek said simply, handing back the scan, "Page me if I'm needed." Arizona nodded, and headed back to Emily's room.

Arizona told Addison what Derek had said, and Addison shook her head. "I just... I don't think we should operate right away. She's a little girl... the tumor isn't huge. It's small enough that it could reverse and disappear eventually... that happens a lot in younger patients. Their brains are stronger, healthier, younger... the odds fall in the young's favor." Arizona saw a strange look in the red-head's eye. Addison wasn't being rational, and Arizona was dumb-struck. "Addison... you should know better than anybody that medical miracles are rare. Wonderful, but rare. We can't rely on luck here. This is a little girl's life... her future. We can't put that in the hands of fate. Not today." The blonde tilted her head, and saw a strange flicker of emotion cross Addison's face. "Are you... do you have some connection to Emily that I am not aware of?" Addison sighed. "The mother of this little girl was one of my best friends back in New York. They flew here just to have me treat Emily. That's half the reason I paged you... I felt like the responsibility of this decision was too much to take onto my own shoulders. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." Arizona placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, "Oh, Addi. Don't even worry about it. I'm sorry... I mean... I just. I'm sorry." Addison nodded, and wiped a single tear away from her cheek. "Anyway," she resumed with a shaky voice, "We need to go talk to Emily's mother. We have to make a decision about what to do." Arizona nodded, and they both re-entered the room.

Arizona proceeded to explain the circumstance and risks to Mrs. Callaway, who immediately broke down crying. In the end, though, the mother decided that the surgery would be Emily's best shot for a future. Though Addison disagreed, Arizona had convinced Emily's mother that it was probably the best option. After Mrs. Callaway had left, the dissenting air hung heavy between Arizona and Addison. The blonde was almost certain that she could feel the tangibility of the awkwardness. She just patted Addison's back in an attempt to console her, and hopefully make amends for the disagreement, then took her leave soon after. No words were exchanged. None were needed.

At the end of the day, Arizona grabbed the clipboard on her way out from Dr. Perkins' desk and made her way home. She knew Callie would be waiting up for her to sign the paper and celebrate, and she was definitely expecting the unexpected. Whenever Callie said it was time to have a celebration, it was usually a dirty innuendo. Arizona couldn't help but smile as she left the hospital.

_But when the day is over, one thing can be said for uncomfortable experiences. They definitely make the familiar situations much more comfortable. They provide the contrast for the ordinary, and make mundane tasks feel like home. _

**Sorry if the length of this chapter was at all bothersome. I wanted to throw in some medical perspective. Next chapter be prepared for some type of smut... ;) Feel free to review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick author's note: I made the mistake of leaving out an important detail – the time that Callie and Arizona got married. Since this story takes place 3 months after the accident, we'll just say that after Arizona returned from Africa, she proposed to Callie, because they realized they couldn't live without each other. They had a wedding, and a few weeks after that, the car accident happened. I know this slightly changes the story, and I apologize for that, but hopefully it does not upset anyone. Thank you.**

**Chapter 3**

_ There's something to be said about spending time with the one you love. Enjoying each other's company is something that is often taken for granted. You never truly realize how much you miss somebody until they aren't around enough to make an impact on your life. But when you are with somebody special, it can be the easiest thing in the world. When you're with them... you're, well, comfortable. _

As Arizona opened the front door to the apartment, she was half expecting Callie to jump out and surprise her. She was expecting party blowers and streamers and balloons... something. But what she didn't expect was what was right in front of her. A trail of lit candles, in little jars, leading in a curving pathway to the couple's bedroom. Arizona smirked to herself. She knew what this meant, and she had been silently looking forward to it all day.

She dropped her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, and held nothing but the clipboard containing Dr. Perkins' document. Before she could forget, she went back to lock the front door – something that Callie often forgot to do, which lead to many awkward incidences involving Mark Sloan. Finally, she made her way to the bedroom, following the path of candles.

Upon entering, her breath was kicked out of her for numerous reasons. First of all, Callie was laying on their bed in nothing but a skimpy black and red lingerie set, with little bows attached to the cleavage portion of the bra. "Calliope..." Arizona finally managed to say, her knees trembling at the sight of her incredibly sexy wife. Secondly, Callie had spelled out "I love you" in red rose petals, and then outlined the letters with more lit candles, so they glowed brilliantly. The sight of this display brought tears to Arizona's eyes, and she jumped onto the bed with her wife. "Oh, baby, I love you too. So much..." she said, stroking Callie's hair out of her eyes and holding her face endearingly. Before she could get a reply, she pressed her lips intensely against her wife's, holding them there for several moments before breaking the kiss, taking a breath, and then diving back in – this time, with more force. She parted her lover's lips with her tongue and entangled it with Callie's. The blonde began running her hands down the Latina's lusciously curvacious body, hooking her fingers in the lingerie panties, and tugging them down her leg slowly.

Arizona's lips left Callie's face, and began making their way down her body... from her collar bone, to her cleavage, down her stomach and hips, finally reaching the warmth at Callie's center. Callie moaned in anticipation, writhing under the blonde's finger tips. "Ugh, God, Arizona. If the accident didn't kill me, you just might finish me off," she said with a devilish grin on her lips. Arizona giggled, revealing her dimples that pulled at Callie's heart strings. Finally, the panties that had been hindering her mission were finally taken off at last by Arizona, and she placed several soft and tender kisses on the skin surrounding her folds. Callie bit her lip, and tried to restrain her squirming, her hand grasping a handful of blonde hair and slightly pulling, causing Arizona to struggle just a bit to reach her goal.

Arizona extended her tongue, and ran it from opening to clit, then back down again, momentarily dipping it inside of Callie, causing a jerk reaction from her, followed by a very frustrated grunt. "Arizona, please..." she pleaded, craving her lover's touch even more now. Arizona acquiesced, wanting to tease her a bit more, but soon she let her tongue run wild... rapid flicks and dips, driving Callie to soon reach her climax quickly. Arizona switched her position, placing her lower end towards Callie's face in order to get just a bit more attention. Callie was quick to comply.

Callie ran a single finger down Arizona's folds from behind, still receiving ample attention from Arizona's mouth all the while. Though it was hard to focus on anything but the pulsations throbbing through her own body, she felt her lover's extreme wetness, and easily slid one finger into Arizona. The blonde let out a very pleased moan, and began rhythmically grinding into Callie's hand. Soon, a second finger was inserted, and Arizona's pace increased significantly.

As Arizona continued her tongue work, she slid a finger into Calliope, striving to drive her absolutely mad. It worked. Almost moments after insertion, Callie's muscles clenched around Arizona's hand tightly as her body rode out the wave of intense pleasure, in unison with her voice screaming out her lover's name. "Dios mío!" Callie whispered, breathless. Whenever Callie spoke spanish, Arizona knew she had done good.

Arizona had stopped her work on Callie, and resorted to gently stroking her leg and placing kisses on whatever available skin she could find. Callie increased her pace on her hand, pushing deep into the blonde. Arizona began moving her ass in small circles, rotating her hips and pushing back on them hard as she grew closer and closer to orgasm. Callie's hand now soaked in her wife's juices, she leaned forward to let her tongue slide in uncontrollable gyrations along Arizona's clit. This was the last thing that Arizona could handle, and she quickly moaned loudly, clenching her teeth as her warmth begged for release. Callie let Arizona finish riding out the waves of ecstasy before slowly taking her fingers out of her wife. "Mmm, baby..." Arizona said before turning around and placing a loving kiss on Callie's lips... "I love you so much, Calliope," she continued. Callie grinned and nuzzled her nose into Arizona's neck, "I love you too." The couple lay there, without saying anything, for another 15 minutes, just enjoying each other's company.

Eventually, Arizona sighed happily and turned to her wife, "Congratulations, by the way. I guess I kind of forgot to say that in the midst of all this. And... thank you. For doing this. It's amazing, and beautiful... and perfect. Just like you." She finished, smiling. Callie's expression changed to pure adoration, and she kissed Arizona's forehead and hugged her tightly. "You deserve it. Especially after sticking with me through this whole recovery process. It couldn't have been easy."

Arizona wrapped a bed sheet around her still-naked body and made her way over to the place where she dropped the clipboard. "This is for you," she said, "It's Dr. Perkins' document. I just need you to sign here... and here... and initial here." She pointed to each location as she spoke. Callie signed each spot, and then grinned, handing back the pen. "There ya go." Arizona leaned down and kissed the top of Callie's head... "You... are officially cleared for surgery."

Just then, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Callie said, jumping off the bed, possessing no shame about her naked body in front of her wife. Arizona took the clipboard back into the kitchen, and grabbed a glass of water.

"Hello?" Callie said, answering the phone. "Papa! Why are you calling so late?" Callie's father was on the other end of the call, and was explaining to her that he and Callie's mother were going to pay a surprise visit to Seattle to see her, but he knew that Callie hated surprise visits. Therefore, he was calling to warn her. However, it had to be late at night because Callie's mother wanted it to be a surprise. "Ah, daddy, thank you. You know how much I hate it when you and mama appear out of nowhere. Yes, yes, everything is fine. I actually just got officially cleared for surgery today! I know! I am so excited." She soon started speaking in fluent Spanish, and Arizona smiled from the other room.

After the phone call ended, Arizona walked back into the bedroom. "So we're getting a surprise visit tomorrow?" Callie chuckled, "Yeah, well... not-so-surprise anymore... thank god. I swear, my mother enjoys giving me heart attacks. My father always got me, you know? He just understood. And yeah, we've had our ups and downs, but he's one of my best friends." Arizona smiled in admiration at her wife, and rubbed her back, "I understand. That's how I felt with my brother, Tim." Callie looked at her, and suddenly, a flash of realization hit her. Arizona had lost one of her best friends in the world, and she never really talked about it. She must have been in such a great deal of pain. Callie couldn't even imagine losing her father. Callie had no words...really, there were no words. She just hugged one of Arizona's arms and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder. Soon, the couple relaxed into their bed, and fell asleep together.

Callie had a big day tomorrow. Her first day back at surgery after a very long time, her parents coming to visit her, and making sure Arizona was completely comfortable around them. Even after the wedding, Callie's parents always had an awkward tinge about them whenever Arizona was around, and that absolutely killed Callie. She wanted nothing more than her love to be accepted completely. Especially by her father, who meant everything to her.

_Sometimes, despite our best effort, we are pushed out of our comfort zone. We are forced to talk to strangers, meet friends of friends, attend awkward family reunions, or worse – try to be friends with your parent-in-law. But as time passes, you realize that it's the only way we ever get anything done. If we never stepped outside our little box of familiarity, we would always be stuck in life's repetitive tasks. We may be uneasy for awhile, but eventually, we adapt._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_As surgeons, we do a lot to make sure our patients are comfortable. We numb parts of the body, we provide medication to make the pain subside, we anesthetize, and sometimes... we lie. We lie to the patient, if it's in the interest of their benefit and well-being, to make sure they live. To be positive that they survive long enough to make the right decision in the future. _

Morning came faster than anyone would have preferred, and the couple slowly untangled themselves from each other's arms. Callie groaned as she rolled over and wiped the sleepiness from her eyes, just as Arizona stretched, making a small squeaking sound as she relaxed again. Callie laughed, still rubbing her eyes, "Ahaha, what was that sound you just made?" Arizona turned to her wife, "What? I was just stretching..." she said defensively, yet in a playful tone. Callie shook her head and leaned forward to kiss Arizona's forehead, "You're so freakin' cute, ya know that?" The blonde displayed her dimples in a smile as the two women rose from bed, and sluggishly started getting ready for work – still tired from the previous night.

Arizona had finished getting ready first, and still had a good half hour before she had to be at work, so she decided to pick up coffee for herself and her wife. It was greatly needed, and she knew that Callie would appreciate it. Upon arrival at the hospital, she spotted Callie and rolled over to her with her heelies, "Here ya go babe, just how you like it." The expression of gratitude on Callie's face was more than evident, "Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I knew there was a reason I married you," she jokingly said with a wink. Arizona just shook her head with a grin and as she was walking backwards, called back, "When will your parents be here?" Callie shrugged a little and replied loudly, "I'm not sure. Probably by noon." Arizona nodded and took off in the opposite direction, due to a 911 page.

Callie turned back to the nurse's desk, taking a sip of her coffee, and began looking through her charts. Within seconds, Mark Sloan leaned his arm onto the desk beside Callie and looked at her, "Did I just hear that right? Your father is coming to town? Mr. Torres? The same guy who threw me against a wall?" Callie laughed, "Yup, you heard perfectly. Better start running now." Mark's eyes widened and he nodded, "You're right." But as Mark turned to leave, he ran into Lexie Grey, who dropped a collection of papers. "OH – Ugh, crap. Sorry, Mark," she said, bending down to pick up the papers. Mark was half in shock, and half in awe of the beauty in front of him. It took a second to register what had just happened, before he bent down to help, "No, no, I'm sorry. I should have been looking where I was going. My bad." He said, handing over the pile he had obtained from the floor. Lexie stumbled over her words and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible, "It-It's fine. R-Really. See? Got 'em all. Thanks, Mark," she said, standing up and walking off quickly. Mark sighed and leaned back onto the desk with Callie, who was trying her very hardest not to laugh. Instead, she just took a long, awkward sip from her coffee, followed by giving Mark one of her 'Wow, nice one' facial expressions. Mark just shook his head at himself, and Callie took her leave, finally letting out a laugh.

Callie entered a patient's room to do some post-op checkups, and found Izzie Stevens sitting at the edge of the patient's bed. "Dr. Stevens?" Callie questioned loudly, purposely interrupting the conversation that had been taking place. Izzie stood up immediately and turned around, "Oh, right. Sorry, Dr. Torres. I was just making sure Eric – err, Mr. Grant was doing okay after surgery. I was the resident on his case and – " Izzie could see the disinterested look in Callie's countenance, and her voice slowly started fading, "...Right and you don't care, do you?" she finished much quieter than she had begun. "Uhh, I'll be going now. Page me if you need me," she said, before leaving quickly. Callie shook her head slightly, before closing her eyes and re-opening them in slight annoyance. "Okay, Mr. Grant, now we can get this post-op checkup show on the road. How's your leg feeling? Any strange pains or discomfort that wasn't explained to you in the pre-op consultation?" Eric shifted in his bed slightly and thought for a moment, as if feeling out his leg, "Um, nope. Don't think so. Look, uh... you don't have to worry about Izzie...she was just being a friend. A lot of my friends ditched me after I divorced my wife. It was one of those... mutual friends situations. We split, they chose sides... I lost. I confided in Izzie, and she was just being a friend." Callie nodded, "I understand. But still, there's a boundary to be respected in this hospital. Right now, we need Dr. Stevens to be your doctor, not your friend. When you're discharged from the hospital, however, that's on you. Not me. Anyway, you're sure that there's no sign of a tingling sensation or severe discomfort?" Mr. Grant inhaled sharply, and exhaled slowly. "Yes. I'm sure," he said firmly. Callie pursed her lips, nodded, and made some notes on the chart. "Perfect. Seems you'll be just fine, then. I'll be back in an hour to do one last checkup, and then you should be able to be discharged soon." Eric nodded, "Okay. Thanks."

Suddenly, Callie received a page from Arizona. Since she was finished here, she left to meet the perky blonde woman. As soon as she spotted her wife, a huge grin plastered itself to Callie's face. "Hey there. What's up?" Arizona grabbed Callie's hand out of her lab coat pocket and held it in both of hers, "Okay, don't freak out. Promise you won't freak out?" Arizona began to ramble, "Because I know how super anxious you get, and I just want you to know that I have it perfectly under control and I paged you as soon as I could –" Callie was starting to get worried just listening to her ramble and had to stop her, "Okay, I think _you _need to stop freaking out. I promise I'll stay calm. What is it?" Arizona took a deep breath before saying, "Your parents are here already. In the waiting room." Callie's eyes widened, "What? But it's only..." she looked down at her cell-phone, "10:30 AM? Ugh... even when daddy tries not to surprise me, he surprises me. Thank you for telling me." She turned to go meet her parents, with Arizona in close pursuit behind her.

Upon reaching the waiting room, Callie approached her parents with arms wide open, "Mama! Daddy!" She said with a smile on her face, greeting them with an embrace for each parent. She kissed the sides of their faces, and then turned to Arizona, "Daddy, you remember Arizona..." The blonde offered a genuinely sincere smile and held out her hand, which was reciprocated by both Mr. and Mrs. Torres each. Carlos pulled Arizona into a hug, "Of course I remember Arizona! The girl who makes my little girl very happy, how could I forget?" Arizona laughed, a little nervously, and replied, "Your daughter deserves the very best, sir. I'm just lucky she picked me for the job." Callie rolled her eyes, "Arizona, this isn't a job interview," she said, nudging her in the side half-heartedly, then pulling her close and kissing her temple. Out of the corner of her eye, Callie could see her mother shift uncomfortably. Just then, Arizona's pager beeped loudly, and she reached for it. "Oh... I'm sorry, it's another 911. It was very nice seeing you two again... I will see you for dinner, I hope?" The two parents nodded and smiled, and Arizona was off.

"Mama..." Callie reprimanded sharply, "I saw that. You still disapprove of my love, even if you don't admit it. You don't have to lie to me." Mrs. Torres swallowed hard, and couldn't quite seem to look her daughter in the eye. "It's not Arizona. She's very nice. I just... I'm having a hard time with the same-sex situation... it's all very... different for me. You'll have to excuse me. Give me time to adjust." Callie shook her head slightly, "I've given you time..." she said quietly. Callie loved her parents, but every time they visited, she remembered why she had been so relieved to leave home in the first place.

Callie took a moment to think, and finally came to a conclusion in her mind. "Listen, mom...either you completely accept and respect Arizona, and my relationship with her, or you guys turn around right now and leave us be. It's as simple as that."

Mrs. Torres made direct eye-contact with her daughter and held it for several, long moments before saying, "Fine. Agreed. We'll meet you two for dinner tonight at your place, yes?" Callie let out a sigh of relief, "Yes, mama. I'll see you and daddy tonight." She kissed each of them on the cheek again, and returned to work.

Suddenly, Callie received a page, causing her to look down at it – Code Blue. She broke out at a sprint towards the patient's room... a Mr. Eric Grant's room. Callie practically broke down the door, as the nurses were doing compressions and another was pulling out the crash cart. Callie's face held both a bewildered and horrified expression as she yelled, "What the _hell _happened?" The nurse had no answer except the obvious, "He's crashing." Callie rolled her eyes as she grabbed the paddles from the crash cart, "You don't say? Charge paddles to 220. CLEAR." Eric's body jolted underneath the paddles.

_But every once in a while come the type of injuries – the wounds that cannot be numbed. The type of losses that are so great, that no temporary source of comfort is sufficient to keep the pain from flooding through our bodies. Usually, they come as a shock to the body..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick note: Thank you all so much for reading and leaving reviews! It really means so much to me and it keeps me motivated. I am keeping a pretty steady pace right now, but I'm trying to balance out writing with school, so my schedule might get bumpy here and there. Thanks again! **

**Chapter 5**

_ Some days, we long for change. We want to prove to ourselves that our life does not consist of the same monotonous routine every single day. People get it into their heads that they need to change something in order to feel rejuvenated, as if it's some magic key. Cut our hair short, dye it some unique color, change the way we dress, sleep with a stranger... those sorts of things. Every now and then, all we want is anything but comfort. The problem is... all these crazy actions require courage, and sometimes, courage is difficult to gather. _

Callie had just shocked Eric Grant with a charge of 220, and still, there was no response. Panic had taken its course in the form of adrenaline throughout her body, and she used it to propel her forward, "Damn it! Charge to 300. CLEAR!" She yelled as she shocked Eric once more. A small heart beat became evident on the monitor, "It's weak, but it's there." In the chaos, the blanket that had been covering Mr. Grant's body had been tossed from the bed onto the floor, and for the first time, Callie had a look at his body.

The leg that had been operated on, where his tibia had been repaired, was swollen severely. It looked as though his lower leg, below the knee, were a slowly expanding balloon being filled with air, and was ready to pop any second. Callie gasped, "Shit! We need to relieve that pressure immediately. Ten blade, now!" she instructed the nurse, who quickly found and handed her the requested scalpel. Callie spread some Betadine on the soon-to-be incision site, and watched with wide eyes as the brown liquid traveled down the man's leg. "Okay, let's do this," she said with a deep breath, and with a steady hand, began cutting an incision down Eric's lower leg. As the pressure was relieved, Callie exhaled firmly and watched as the man's blood pressure reached a steady number, and the heart beat grew stronger. "Okay, I think we got it. He should have told me he was feeling discomfort, and this would have never happened. I think I need to talk to Stevens."

Fifteen minutes after Callie had paged Izzie, they finally met up in the hallway. Izzie skidded to a stop in front of the taller woman, and tilted her head, "Yeah? What's up, Dr. Torres?" she asked, genuinely unaware of what had happened with Mr. Grant. Callie informed her of the situation, "Don't tell me you really had no idea that he was feeling some pain?" Callie fired the accusation towards Izzie, who remained calm, "He only mentioned pain once, and I checked his charts. He had no surgery complications or allergies, so I allowed him some morphine for the discomfort. I did nothing wrong here. He was in recovery. All patients get pain meds for recovery!" Callie bit down angrily on her lower lip and shook her head furiously, "No, you see, you overstepped a line here, Stevens. You got too friendly with the patient, you grew too comfortable, and you let it affect your judgement. I would think, _you_, of all people, would know how dangerous that is. At the very least, you should have told me that he felt pain and requested pain medication." Izzie's face immediately fell as she thought of Denny... her late fiancé. The blonde let out a sigh and nodded, "Okay, you're right. I messed up, it won't happen again, I swear." Callie chuckled darkly, "Hmph, you're damn right it won't. Not on my watch, at least. You're off my service until further notice. Go get an assignment from Bailey." Izzie was about to protest, but Callie held up a hand, "I don't want to hear it. Go. Now," and proceeded to stare down Stevens, who finally turned around and left.

Shaking her head, Callie turned around to see Arizona watching her from the nurse's desk. All at once, Callie's mood brightened significantly, and she smiled over to her wife, who returned the smile. Torres made her way over to Arizona, and placed her hands on the blonde's waist, "You are exactly what I need right now..." she whispered, placing a few lingering kisses along her neck, and up to her jawline. Arizona's breath hitched slightly, but she pulled away just a bit, "Believe me... I need it too. Just lost a patient... little boy, about 9 years old. I need your love so much right now... but it just doesn't feel right with your parents so close... it would feel too weird." This was another case of Arizona being right, and Callie hating it. The dark-haired woman scrunched her nose in frustration, "Grr. Why d'you gotta be right all the time? It _would _a little weird." Arizona let her dimples show, "Cause I'm right and I'm awesome." Callie settled for kissing her wife's cheek, and getting a tight hug in return from her. "Fine," Callie continued, "But... the minute they leave, you better watch out," she said with a smirk. Arizona nodded and said, "Oookay... guess I better watch my back, then. See you tonight? At dinner? I'm thinking I might get dressed up here and surprise you." Callie nodded, "Okay, see you tonight. I can't wait to see you all fancied up..." As Arizona was leaving, she looked over her shoulder to her wife and winked before turning a corner out of view. Callie's heart fluttered and sent waves of excited anxiety to her stomach. All this time with Arizona, and that woman still gave her butterflies.

Darkness fell, and dinner time was approaching. Callie was at her apartment preparing the meal, and was just about finished with the main course. She had set out a salad, a bread bowl, and a few appetizers. When it came to cooking, Callie was almost as skilled as when she was cracking bones. Finally, the food was done cooking and the presentation was practically perfect, and she could get herself ready. After taking a speedy shower, Callie put on a form-fitting dark blue, almost black dress. It wrapped perfectly around every curve, accentuated her breasts, and dipped down to reveal just the right amount of cleavage to be classy, and still sexy. She placed the silver, heart necklace around her neck that she received from Arizona for Valentine's Day, and a few silver bangles around her wrist, followed by strapping on her 2-inch heels. Her raven-colored hair hung in elegant, bouncy curls upon her shoulders.

There was a knock at the front door, and as Callie was putting her last earring on, (beautiful diamonds that glistened in the light) she rushed to the door. Her heart pounded in hopes that it was her wife, home from the hospital, and all dressed up.

Her wishes came true as she opened the door, revealing a breath-taking Arizona. "Oh my god, baby, you look absolutely stunning..." Callie stood, almost speechless, as she appraised the sexy blonde. Arizona grinned her dimpled-smile, and replied, "God, Calliope, you look utterly gorgeous..." She was wearing a dark red dress that stopped mid-thigh, heels that made her perfectly toned legs look amazing, and a respectable amount of cleavage was shown... just enough to keep it to Callie's imagination. Callie smiled as she saw the matching Valentine's Day necklace hanging from her neck, and leaned over to kiss Arizona's lips which were layered beautifully in red lipstick to match the dress. Arizona had straightened her hair stylishly, and clipped part of her bangs back.

Arizona's nose turned upwards into the air, "Mmm, dinner smells yummy. And it _looks _absolutely mouthwatering." Callie grinned with pride, "Thanks. I decided to cook daddy's favorite... he always had a thing for chicken." Callie poured the two women each a glass of red wine, "Here you go. I think we'll both need this to make it through the night." She held up her glass in a toast, "Here's to us, and making it through this dinner without a painfully awkward moment!" Callie joked... Arizona laughed and they clinked glasses together before taking a sip.

Within the next half hour, Mr. and Mrs. Torres made their appearance. Greetings were made, and everyone sat down to eat.

"Ahh, Mija, you made my favorite.. thank you!" Callie smiled as she took a bite of chicken, "No problem! It's not every day that my parents come by for dinner." Mrs. Torres nibbled at a bite of salad anxiously, and Callie tried to ignore her as best she could. Arizona could feel the tenseness in Callie's posture, so the blonde reached underneath the table to find Callie's free hand, and squeezed it lovingly. Callie relaxed a little, and leaned into Arizona ever so slightly.

Table talk consisted of work, recovery progress, surgeries (non-descriptive), and then... came plans for the future. Arizona shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Mrs. Torres talked incessantly about how desperately she wanted a grandchild. Much to Callie's knowledge, Arizona didn't want children any time soon. Though this still pained Callie, she would much rather have Arizona and no children, than lose the love of her life. Apparently, Mr. Torres saw Arizona's discomfort and butted into the conversation, "Tell me, Arizona, how do you plan on making my angel, here, happy if you can't even agree to give her a child?" The sudden rude tone took Arizona by surprise, and she couldn't think of an appropriate answer right away. Callie's father shook his head, "See? Look at her," he laughed, "Callie, look at this woman. How can you love somebody who does not want to see you happy? She is being selfish, I tell you." Mrs. Torres stopped eating, wide-eyed, "Carlos..." she said firmly. Mr. Torres shook his head, this time more passionately, but before he could say anymore, Callie stood up and slammed her hands down on the dinner table.

"Listen to me, daddy...mama, too. I am _tired _of defending the love of my life to you two people who are supposed to be my parents. You two adults are supposed to be the people in my life who love and support me no matter what my decisions in life are. And my decision is to be with Arizona. She is my happiness – " Callie was interrupted by Arizona, who softly placed her hand on Callie's arm. Callie sat down, knowing that Arizona had something to say. The blonde stood up, and looked Carlos directly in the eye...

"Sir, I know you are having a hard time getting to know me, and getting used to our relationship, even after all this time. But I am going to say this once... there is nothing, absolutely _nothing _in my life more important to me than making your daughter happy. Every night I go to sleep, and every morning I wake up, all I want to do is love her. I want to prove to her that, despite our different views on children, I want to make her the happiest person in the world. Right now, I don't want a child... and maybe that is selfish of me. I see that, now. But how dare you come into _our _home and tell me that I do not want to make Calliope happy. You may not ever know me, but one thing you should realize... I will do anything for her to make her happy." She finished with tears in her eyes, and sat down, looking down at her food. Callie placed a supportive hand on her back, and rubbed soothingly, looking over at her father to gauge his reaction, and glare at him, all at once.

"You two should go. Thank you for coming," Callie said to her parents. Carlos clenched his jaw...standing up, he looked his daughter directly in the eye, "Calliope Torres... I love you, and I will _always _love you. But this isn't what you want. This isn't your dream. Ever since you were a little girl, you've wanted a baby. A little human being to nurture and teach... you won't be happy. I can see that already."

This was the last straw for Callie. She stood back up and marched over to her father, placing a single finger to his chest, "That is _it. _Get OUT. GET OUT of my house. Of our house. You are no longer welcome here. You have absolutely no right to tell me that. Obviously you know nothing about me anymore, because I love Arizona more than anything," tears were falling down Callie's face now. Arizona looked up at her wife, and whispered softly, "Calliope, don't... it's- it's okay." The blonde knew how difficult this must be for Calliope.

Callie finished, "Leave, and don't _ever _come back. I never want to see you two again, unless you begin to accept my love and my relationship, and most of all – Arizona. Now GET OUT," she yelled with a firm but shaky voice, full of angry passion. Mrs. Torres was heading out of the door, holding her hand to her mouth, but Mr. Torres' expression changed, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain and holding his left arm.

Callie's eyes grew wide and she watched him on the ground, struggling. Her legs were locked. She knew something was clearly wrong with her father, but the combined shock of her passion-fit, and her father on the ground caused Callie to freeze up.

Arizona instantly sprung into action, calling 911 as she checked Mr. Torres' vitals and kept his body still. Callie's knees were trembling, but she managed to say, "What's happening?" weakly. Arizona swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up into Callie's big brown eyes, and said fearfully, "He's having a heart attack."

_When things actually start to change, though, we find ourselves clawing back towards the past, when things were familiar... tangible. We struggle to find a steady ground to stand upon when our world starts to shift. And before we know it, our entire world has changed, and nothing is comfortable anymore. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_You know that moment when you first wake up on a freezing cold morning, and the last thing you want to do is climb out of bed? When you feel like you've finally found the comfy spot on the bed underneath the warm covers, but the alarm clock is nagging you to wake up? We never want to leave the comfort of our bed, but the voice at the back of our head is harassing us, reminding us that we have to get up and live life. Of course, we'd all much rather ignore it and stay in bed... but life goes on, and time stops for no one. _

An ambulance made the short trip across the street from the hospital to Callie's apartment, and Mrs. Torres accompanied her husband in the back of the rig. Arizona and Callie simply ran across the street and took their place in the waiting room, waiting for any news. Arizona had paged Dr. Altman, Bailey, and any other available doctors who were on-call.

Callie sat in a chair with her face in her hands, sobbing hysterically. Nothing like this had ever happened to her father before, and she was terrified. Arizona's heart broke at the sight of her wife like this, and she wasn't sure what to say – in fact, she knew there was nothing she could say right now. She knew that all Callie needed was somebody to be with her. The blonde draped her arm across Callie's back, and rubbed soothingly, placing her face against Callie's temple and kissing the side of her face softly, whispering, "Shh, it'll be okay.. it'll be okay."

After a few minutes, it seemed as though Mrs. Torres had been dismissed from her husband's room, and joined the two women in the waiting room, grabbing her daughter's hand and squeezing it as they cried together. Very few words were exchanged.

After the heart attack, Carlos had fallen unconscious, and hadn't woken up since. His breathing was short and quick, even with the oxygen mask. After completing a few protocol check-ups, Teddy placed her stethoscope around her neck and began giving orders, "Alright, this wasn't just any ordinary heart attack – it was a big one. He's going into heart failure. Clear me an O.R. immediately, his blood flow is decreasing and his organs are going to start shutting down if I don't get in there right now." The nurse ran to get an O.R. prepped, and Bailey sighed, "One minute you're having dinner with your daughter...the next, you're on an O.R. table..." she said sadly as they began wheeling Carlos to the elevator.

Mrs. Torres had gotten up to step outside and clear her head, she said she desperately needed some air. Callie and Arizona sat alone in the waiting room, with nobody but another couple on the complete opposite side of the room, crying in each other's arms for their own reason. Callie had stopped bawling, and was reduced to sniffles and labored breathing. She leaned against Arizona's shoulder, and for the first time since they arrived, began speaking in a shaky voice, "You know... I used to think that the worst thing that could happen to me was to die...to stop living. But, I've realized now that really... that isn't the worst thing. It's living in a world where your loved ones no longer exist. It's _living, _Arizona, how do I keep living if daddy dies?" she collapsed into her wife's arms and started crying again, and Arizona's brows furrowed worriedly, she knew this was difficult for Callie, but to question her own life? Arizona had to be strong now, though, so she shook off the concern and continued comforting Callie, "Baby, listen to me. Your father is still alive right now. But if something does happen to him, it's not the end of you. I know it will feel like it, but you need to understand...he will always be a part of you. He will continue living through _you_, Calliope. When Timothy died, I was sure that my life was over. Hell, I _wanted _it to be over. But I kept living... and you know what happened? I met you. I met you and everything was okay again, because I knew that as long as you were here with me, nothing could ever be that bad again... you need to believe me when I say, that I will always be here for you. I'm not going anywhere, baby..." The blonde stroked her wife's hair and held her tightly in her arms. Callie couldn't speak, so she only nodded to show her acknowledgment of Arizona's words, and clung tighter to her.

In the O.R. Teddy had just opened up Carlos' chest, and saw the extent of the damage. "My god..." she whispered, "His heart... the amount of damaged tissue is so great that the remaining muscle just can't do an adequate job of pumping blood out of his heart." Altman sighed and shook her head, "I'm fearing this might be a lost cause, guys." Bailey shot her head up at Teddy and look her directly in the eye, "Do you know who this is? This is Carlos Torres... Callie's father. One of our own. Now, there is no such thing as a lost cause until we've done absolutely everything we can. Now, you get back in there and repair what you can. We have to _try,_" she finished through clenched teeth. Teddy stared into Bailey's eyes for a moment before looking back down at Carlos, "Fine, you're right... we can try. Bailey, begin a cardiac massage to try and get a stronger rhythm, and then I will try to repair what damage I can. After the massage, put him on cardiopulmonary bypass. We need to keep the blood flowing, even if his heart can't do it by itself." Bailey nodded and did so.

Callie leaned back and looked into Arizona's bright blue eyes, glistening with tears as well. She kissed her lips softly and whispered, "Thank you, for being here. I love you so much." Arizona half-smiled and kissed her back, "I love you too. I'm here for you.. and for your father, and for Mrs. Torres too. Don't ever forget it." Callie looked down and nodded... "It's just...did you hear the last thing I said to him?" She swallowed the lump in her throat, "I told him to get out of our house... I told him I never wanted to see him again! Oh god, Arizona. I'm a horrible person. I caused his heart attack, didn't I? I never even... I didn't realize it until just now. Oh my god." She started hyperventilating and her eyes filled with tears again. Arizona grabbed her face in between her hands, and looked her square in the eye. "Calliope.. he knows you didn't mean it. You were angry... he was being rude and inappropriate. You had every reason to say that to him, and I think deep down, he knew that. His heart wouldn't have freaked out if it wasn't for previous heart conditions. He may have had heart disease and not even known it... it might have been a matter of time before he had a heart attack anyway. Calm down, baby, it'll be okay." Arizona took Callie's hand in her own and kissed the top of it and then held it to her heart.

At that moment, Bailey came out into the waiting room to report an update. Callie sprang up out of her seat with Mrs. Torres and Arizona following her. "How bad is it?" Callie asked with a concerned expression on her face, looking Bailey right in the eye. Bailey inhaled deeply and began, "Well, when we opened him up, we saw that there was a _lot _of damaged tissue. His heart is having trouble circulating blood on its own, so we put him on bypass. Dr. Altman is working on repairing as much damage as she can, but since he's in heart failure, his organs could begin to shut down if they don't receive enough blood and oxygen. We are trying our very best, and doing everything we can. I am making sure of it." Bailey said firmly, placing her hand on Callie's arm with slight reassurance. Mrs. Torres put her hand to her mouth and sat down, in complete shock. Callie's eyes teared up again, and she nodded... Arizona knew that Callie wouldn't be able to find any words, so she spoke up, "Thank you, Miranda. Keep us posted, please." Bailey agreed and returned to the operating room.

Two hours later, Teddy had finished repairing as much as she could without doing any further damage, "He's been on bypass long enough already, we can't risk him stroking out. I've repaired everything I could. Let's close him up, and monitor his recovery. Bailey, please give another update to the family and tell them that he's going to have a long recovery, and probably won't be awake for awhile. His heart is exhausted." Bailey nodded and scrubbed out to talk to the family.

Callie was asleep on Arizona's shoulder, exhausted from crying. Mrs. Torres stood, pacing the waiting room, and Arizona was reading a magazine, trying to keep her mind distracted. Upon seeing Bailey, the blonde woke up her wife gently and told her that she was going to get another update. Callie rubbed her eyes and walked over to Bailey, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. After receiving the information that Teddy had told Bailey, the first thing out of Callie's mouth was, "Can I see him? I... I need to talk to him. There's something I need to say." Bailey nodded, "Just be prepared for what you're about to see. There are a lot of tubes and IV's in him to keep him hydrated and healthy, his color is slightly peaked, and he will be unconscious for a while." Callie expected much worse, so all of this was acceptable for now. "Okay," she said simply. Bailey led the way to Carlos' room, and Callie prepared the speech in her head for the hundredth time. She knew her father would be asleep, but at least he was alive. She needed to believe that he could hear what she was about to say. Arizona held Callie's hand tightly as they approached his room, and opened the door.

_Sometimes, we just let the world pass us by. Sometimes, that's okay. Because when we can't find the strength in our own legs to get out of bed in the morning, how does anyone expect us to stand on steady ground? When we can't find the strength to leave the comfort of today, it's okay to go back to bed, and wait for tomorrow to see if it's any easier. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_ Loss is hard. In fact, it's one of the hardest things that human beings are faced with in life. Because of this, we often find ourselves scrambling to preserve the beloved things...to hold them dearly before we lose them. More than anything, though, we wish we could go back in time and make things different...perhaps if we adjusted it just enough, we wouldn't be where we are right now._

Callie sat at her father's bedside, with her hand grasping his tightly. Carlos was still unconscious, but his breathing was regular and steady at last. This small fact kept Callie holding onto the slim thread of hope that remained in her heart. Mrs. Torres sat on the opposite side of the bed, holding her husband's other hand, and Arizona was behind Callie on a small chair, leaning her head against the wall.

Callie turned around and looked at her wife with a smile, "Baby, I appreciate you being here, but you don't have to stay. You have work tomorrow, and you need a good night's rest. I'll be okay... you should go home." Arizona sat forward slightly and tilted her head, "Calliope, I'm not going to leave you alone in a time like this," her bright blue eyes shining with adoration at her wife. Callie reached over and ran her hand through the beautiful blonde locks, "Thank you, but mama is here, I'm not alone. You've been here for me long enough already, please, for me...go home. Sleep. I'll see you when your shift begins, I'm sure." Arizona sighed, she hated leaving her alone, but Callie was right. She shook her head softly and finally said, "Okay, fine... but I will be checking up on you as soon as my shift starts." Arizona leaned over to kiss her wife's forehead, then patted Mrs. Torres' shoulder, and said her goodbyes.

When Callie was absolutely certain that her mother was asleep at Carlos' bedside, she decided it would be a good time to recite her speech. Though Carlos was still asleep, she knew that he would be able to hear her. When Callie had been in her accident, she remembered stories that Arizona had told while she sat at her side...sure they were a bit fuzzy, and imageless, but she still recalled them.

She took her father's hand once again and kissed his cheek before beginning, "Daddy...I'm so sorry. I mean... I know that you were upset and I didn't make it any better. And I also know that what you said was totally out of line and rude... so you deserved to be yelled at. But you didn't deserve all of this... you are one of my best friends, and the best father a girl could have... thank you so much for always being there... for my graduations, school recitals, soccer games... all that jazz. Hell, you were even there when I came home from medical school and decided I wanted to crack bones for a living. You were supportive of me then, during all of that... I just wish you could be supportive of my relationship with Arizona. That is all I ask of you. I love you so much, and I just want you to be proud of me. I know... I promised you grandchildren, right? But, you know what? We could still have kids. Maybe not right now, but who knows? Maybe Arizona will come around. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all of that... and I know if you make it through this, you will learn to respect my love..." Callie sighed deeply, trying to think if there was anything else she wanted to say.

But before she could think very long, she looked up to see her father's eyes open the tiniest bit. They were squinty, as if the lights in the room were too bright to handle. Callie gasped, "Oh, daddy! You're awake?" Carlos half-smiled and nodded, and then tried to speak, but nothing came out. Callie immediately reached for the glass of water at the bedside table and placed the straw in his mouth so he could drink. After taking a long sip, he swallowed, and spoke, "Callie... do not apologize to me, mija. You are strong...and obviously love Arizona very much. _I _am the one who should be sorry... and I am. I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy... so if this is what you want, then you have my blessing from this moment forward. Life's too short to be anything except happy." Callie grinned widely, with tears filling her eyes. She grabbed her father's hand one last time and gave it a tight squeeze... then looked over to her mother, still completely asleep. She laughed at the this sight, and then gently shook her, waking her up. They all rejoiced together at the miracle in front of them, and explained to Carlos what had happened, and how long he should expect to be in recovery.

**2 Weeks Later**

Arizona had just finished pouring herself a bowl of her favorite cereal as Callie came busting through the door with the most excited expression on her face, "BABY, guess what! Guess what your totally badass and hardcore wife just did..." Arizona took a bite of her cereal and then laughed at her adorable wife, "Umm... does it involve breaking bones?" Callie grabbed the blonde by the waist and took the bowl of cereal out of her hands, setting it down on the nearby counter, "Sort of? Technically, no!I didn't _break _any bones... instead, I _built_ this kid some legs. Out of titanium and screws and...and... steel. He was a runner, and didn't want to give it up. Granted, it might not be the same, but he has legs now. It's better than the legs he didn't have 12 hours ago!" Arizona giggled, "You're right, that is _amazing. _Actually, you are amazing," she said, grabbing Callie's face and kissing her passionately. Callie smiled into the kiss and moaned lightly, "Mm...thank you. I am just having the best day, and now it's about to get even better..." she said with a smirk on her face.

Arizona raised her eyebrow, running her hand down Callie's back, then put a small pout on her face, "Can I at least finish my cereal?" Callie chuckled, "Nope," then pushed the smaller woman against the wall, grabbing the side of her leg and wrapping it around her waist. Arizona placed a series of soft, lingering kisses along her wife's neck, beginning to take each other's clothes off and throwing them across the apartment.

45 minutes and multiple orgasms later, the couple were cuddling on the couch. Arizona reached for the remote, "Shall I see what's on HBO?" Callie nodded and continued playing with the blonde's hair, "Yeah... I think there's a new episode of Dexter on! Hurry!" Arizona flipped to the mentioned channel, and relaxed into her lover's arms. She glanced up at Callie's face and kissed her jawline softly, whispering, "I love you.." Callie smiled and hugged her tighter, "I love you more..." Arizona laughed once and shook her head, "HA... yeah, right... not even in a million years..." The two continued playfully arguing over who loved who more, and ended up missing half of their TV show.

When the show had ended and they realized that they just missed all of it, they bust out laughing in unison...holding their stomachs and wiping tears from their eyes. Callie took a breath, "Oh my god, we just totally spent an hour arguing about who loves the other more, which, by the way, I won that one..." Arizona suddenly stopped laughing and rolled her eyes, "_Oh, okay._ Clearly, you won...sure, I'll just let you think that...oh god, we need to stop. Okay. Let's just settle for a tie." Callie nodded reluctantly.

Suddenly, Arizona turned around and looked at Callie, "Hey, I have an idea. We both don't have shifts until late tomorrow, right?" Her wife nodded, so she continued, "Well... would you like to... go out on a date with me? I mean, I know we're married, but that doesn't mean we can't go out on dates, right?" Callie smiled. It never ceased to amaze her how absolutely adorable Arizona was, "Yes, I would love to, baby." Arizona smiled brightly, her dimples coming out to play. "Okay... I will surprise you then!" Callie's stomach filled with butterflies as she thought about tomorrow, "I am _so _looking forward to it."

_But we know that we can't go back in time, so instead, we try our best to take advantage of the moment. When we step back and realize that this life is all we've got, we finally start to appreciate what is right in front of us. _

**Sorry that it's been taking me longer than normal to update... like I said before, school work is eating up my time. I will keep trying to update as regularly as possible. Thank you for reading & reviewing! I decided that it was time to cheer up a little bit, so I put in a little fluff. Sorry if it was too drastic of a change from one topic of another, but I was getting tired of the depressing stuff! Haha. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_ Why is it that the things most worth doing are the ones outside of our comfort zone? It's like a venn diagram. You, and everything you're at ease with is in one circle, and in the other circle is an entire list of activities that you must try a little harder to achieve. And for the most part, hardly anything intersects. But what if just for one day, they did? _

The following morning, Arizona was first to awake. She glanced over to her partner and found her fast asleep with her arm wrapped securely around the blonde's waist. Arizona smiled, gently removing the arm from her body, and slipped out of bed silently.

She walked over to the coffee-maker and began making a pot, wearing nothing but a white tank-top and a pair of navy short shorts. After a few groggy minutes of fiddling with the machine, she finally figured out how to turn it on, and turned around. She was slightly startled to see Callie watching her from the doorway, leaning on the wall and smiling. "Calliope! How long have you been standing there?" Callie just shook her head and walked towards her wife, "Long enough to admire those amazing legs of yours..." she said, her voice saturated with sultriness. Arizona's dimples broke through her straight face as she took her wife's hand, "So, are you excited for today? Do you have any idea what I have planned?" She asked excitedly, but didn't provide time for an answer because she kept rambling, "I'm trying _really _hard not to spoil it, but I am getting so anxious. And nervous...really nervous, because if you don't like it – if you hate it, I am going to feel so stupid and..." She was interrupted with a pair of luscious lips against hers as Callie kissed her. After they broke apart, Callie smirked and whispered, "That is my favorite way to shut you up. I am going to love it, whatever it is, because I'll be all alone with you... the best wife in the whole world." Arizona exhaled sharply, "I hope you're right..."

After the couple had breakfast together, they showered together and got dressed. Around 10am, they were ready to go. They hopped into the car, with Arizona in the driver's seat. "Okay, so you have to close your eyes on the car ride, otherwise you will be able to tell where we're going and that's just no fun." Callie gave her a look, as if saying, _Are you kidding me? _But Arizona shot a look back at her wife that seemed to communicate, _Please just humor me. _So Callie smiled and closed her eyes, "You're lucky that you're so adorable." Arizona grinned and started the car.

Fifteen minutes later, Callie was about to break her promise, "Can I open my eyes YET? It has literally been an eternity of blackness over here..." Arizona laughed, "Okay, okay... calm down, we're pretty much there..." Callie could feel the car stop moving, so she cautiously opened one eye and looked around, and couldn't believe what was in front of her, so the second eye immediately shot open. "Is that a ferry boat? Arizona, you know how I feel about ferries..." Arizona giggled, and grabbed her wife's hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb, "I know, I know. That's why I was so nervous. But... I was thinking, and I mean... I was going to just take you out to a movie, the same ol' thing we always do. But it didn't feel right..." Callie gulped, "And taking me out on a giant moving death ship did?" Arizona tilted her head and placed a single finger on Callie's lips to quiet her, and continued, "So instead, I figured that I would help you overcome one of your fears. Shouldn't that be what marriage is about? Overcoming difficult things together? I know it sounds crazy, Calliope, but just hear me out. We've overcome so much together already... the accident, the scare with your father, and our disagreement about children. I just want to prove to you that no matter what, I'm not going to bail on you again. Please, let me win back your faith in me. Even if you hate something that I love, such as ferry boats for example, I will still be here at the end of the day. And I swear, next time, it's your turn to surprise me." Callie couldn't help but smile at her wife's attempt at winning back her trust, even though she already completely trusted her. "Okay...fine... but if I still absolutely hate it at the end of the day, will you just accept it?" Arizona thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Yes. If you try it and still hate it, then I will be totally fine with it. But I'm not going down without a fight." The blonde said with a determined sparkle in her eye. Callie bit her lip nervously, "Okay, let's go then." As they walked together towards the loading dock, Arizona mumbled playfully, "Geesh, such a badass Ortho surgeon... woulda never guessed you'd be scared of ferry boats..." Callie nudged her wife in the side and looked at her with a faux offended expression, "Hey! Watch it, blondie." They laughed together as Arizona helped Callie onto the boat.

As the boat glided along the water, Callie was a nervous wreck, constantly asking 'what if' questions to her wife, and clinging to her tightly. Arizona smiled, "Calliope, the boat is _not _going to tip over." Callie shook her head, "Have you _seen Titanic? _That's what everyone thinks! And then BAM, I'm asking you to never let go! And then you let go anyway! Even though, there was clearly room on that door for Jack. Rose was just being selfish, in my opinion..." Arizona gave her a bewildered expression and laughed, "I think I married a crazy woman..." she whispered to herself.

Arizona leaned over the railing, and watched the water as it disappeared quickly beneath the bow of the boat. Callie wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and nuzzled her chin into Arizona's neck, kissing her skin softly. Arizona leaned back into the embrace and moaned very lightly, "Mm, see... this isn't so bad, is it?" Callie tightened her grip a little on her partner and shook her head slightly, "No, I guess not. I never really gave it a chance the last time I was within fifty feet of a ferry... plus it's way better with you here..."

They stood, watching the beautiful sights pass them by, wrapped in each other's caress. At last, they reached their destination back at the dock. As they stepped off the boat, Callie turned to Arizona and kissed her lips sweetly, "Thank you. That wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I guess, ever since that horrible ferry accident when Meredith almost died... I don't know. I've just hated the things ever since." Arizona stroked her lover's back comfortingly, "I understand. I just love them so much... half the reason I moved to Seattle. I wanted to show you that there's nothing to be worried about. You know that was a freak accident..." Callie nodded, "Yeah, I know. I'm glad we did this... really, I am." Arizona displayed her super magic smile which in turn caused Callie to smile.

Arizona turned around to see a park behind them, "Hey, wanna go on a walk around the park?" Callie grabbed her wife's hand tightly, "Sure," she agreed. As they strode hand-in-hand, they watched little kids play on the playground, dogs bark and chase other dogs, people jogging, and other various activities. Arizona noticed it had started to get a little cloudy, because it had been one of the rare sunny days in Seattle. "Ah, crap, the clouds are rolling in quickly...looks like rain..." The families around them began packing up and leaving the park, the kids evacuating the playground and the pet-owners struggling to get their dog back on the leash. "So?" Callie said with a smug look on her face. "So... it's gonna start raining here any second..." Arizona replied simply. Callie released her wife's hand and went over to the playground, climbing into the now-empty tower at the top of it. Arizona laughed at her ridiculous wife, and quickly followed her, taking an alternative route up the ladder. As the rain started sprinkling, Callie sat at the top of the slide, trying to get into a comfy sitting spot. Arizona reached the area where Callie was and pushed her wife down the slide unexpectedly, causing her to scream and fly down the swirling slide, "Ahhh!" she yelped, along with laughter. "Oh, I am so gonna get you back, Robbins!" she yelled back at the blonde at the top of the tower. Callie climbed back up the slide, and found her adorable prize waiting at the top, tackling her so they fell backwards onto the play equipment, Callie now straddling her wife. "Got you!" she said. Arizona giggled and nodded, "You sure did."

With the roof of the tower sheltering them from rainfall, they laid together, kissing passionately. Eventually, they had to stop before it got too steamy. After all, they were still in a public place, even if there was nobody around for miles. So they settled for cuddling, holding each other tightly and occasionally stealing a kiss where they could. The couple laid, listening to the rainfall pitter-patter across the equipment, and shared stories about their childhood experiences on playgrounds, rainstorms, and many other random topics for what seemed like hours. Eventually, though, the rain stopped. Callie sat up and looked around, watching a single sunbeam break through the clouds and blind her. She held her hand in front of her face, shielding the ray from her eyes, "Man, what time is it?" Arizona checked her phone and saw that it was only 30 minutes until their shift at the hospital began. "Ugh, we have to be at work in half an hour. Guess we better get going..." Callie nodded, then leaned over to kiss the blonde's cheek one last time, "Yeah, guess we should. Race you to the car!" With that, Callie threw herself down the slide and was at ground-level before Arizona could even get her bearings. "Hey! _Cheater!_" She yelled, running down the steps to the ground.

_Sometimes even when we least expect it, the world we love and the world we fear may collide, and though it sounds frightening, it could end up being exactly what we need. _


	9. Chapter 9

** Hey everyone! I'm soooo sorry for the long wait. I got caught up with school... I literally had 4 projects in a week, then I got sick and I haven't been able to do much of anything feeling like I have. Anyway, enough of the excuses, point is that I apologize for the wait and hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you for reading!**

**Chapter 9**

_ The thing about change is that it happens gradually. One day you wake up and look back, wondering how the hell you got here. You realize that day by day, nothing changes...but at the same time, everything's different. Whether for better or for worse... well, that decision's up to you. _

Upon arriving at the hospital, the couple walked hand-in-hand towards the entrance, exchanging a sweet kiss to part ways in opposite directions down the hallways. Callie found Mark Sloan leaning against the nurse's desk, watching her approach. "Hey Torres... you look cheery. I take it the date with blondie was a success?" Callie smirked and grabbed a chart to flip through, trying to seem indifferent. "It was really nice, yeah..." she replied softly. Mark tilted his head and tried to catch Callie's eye contact, "Really nice?" He asked in disbelief, "When is the last time you used those two pathetic words to describe Robbins? No way, there's something you're not telling me, Cal." The woman rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Look, Mark, it's not a big deal. She took me on a ferry boat and then we went to the park and –" Mark held up his hand, "Whoa, whoa... did you say 'ferry'?" He crossed his arms and laughed a throaty chuckle, "And you didn't pass out, or run away screaming?" he continued mockingly. Callie's brow furrowed and she punched him in the chest, "Ugh. This is why I don't tell you anything, anymore!" She grumbled as she walked off towards her patient's room. Mark just laughed and walked away as well.

As Callie entered the room, Cristina Yang was already in the middle of presenting a case to Dr. Webber and Dr. Hunt. Apparently this was a VIP patient, "Ah yes, sir, this is Dr. Torres," Yang began, "She will be your Ortho specialist and will help get your dislocated shoulder right back to normal while we take a look at your heart and lungs," she said with a robotic smile. The man on the table looked to be about late 60's, with silver hair patched with faded blonde spots. His eyes were a striking blue, and the comparison to his pale skin was almost shocking. Callie smiled and offered out her hand, "Hello, Mr...?" The man took her hand in a firm grip, "Hahn. My name's Robert Hahn." Callie's grip on the handshake suddenly lost strength, and her eyes widened with panic. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" The man chuckled, "I know, a world-famous cardiothoracic surgeon comes waltzing into your hospital without the least bit of notice and now he expects you to fix his dislocated shoulder. I imagine it might be a bit intimidating, but don't worry my dear, I'm sure you'll do a fine job. I've heard you're the best at what you do, from many people!" Callie swallowed hard, "Um, what exactly have you heard about me?" At that moment, Yang grabbed Callie's hand, pulling her away, as she briefly said, "Excuse me," to Robert. In the corner, Yang whispered, "Cal... I know. I know, okay? But I need you to hold it together for me. He'll be in and out after surgery, and then you don't have to worry about it. Erica hasn't been seen around at all yet, and if we're lucky, the wicked witch will stay far away." Callie shook her head, "The least you guys could have done was given me a heads up. Catching me off guard was a bad way to get me on your good side, you know?" Yang nodded, "I know, but it wasn't my call. Webber didn't want to spook you off, he knew you'd run if you even heard the word Hahn before getting in here. I'm sorry, okay?" Callie sighed and nodded, "Okay, but if Erica gets here... you _need _to warn me." Yang agreed, "I promise, I will." Callie half-smiled, "Thanks." She turned around and returned to Robert.

"Sorry about that, sir. Let me just check out your shoulder and then we'll have you taken up and prepped for surgery." She said, glancing at the scans in the chart. As she made her way towards his shoulder, his teeth clenched in pain. "Augh, the pain is very severe, even with the pain killers." Torres softened her touch, "I'm sorry, I'm being as gentle as I can. I just need to get an idea of what I'm doing before I get in there." The man smiled, "Ahh, believe me, I understand. Been there, done that. Before all this medical mumbo-jumbo in my health, I used to be a God. A cardio God at that." Callie smiled, "I bet you were, sir." He continued, beaming with pride, "And then my daughter...my strong, independent, and hardheaded daughter decided to follow in my footsteps. She's one of the best...in the running with the likes of Preston Burke, who won the Harper Avery Award. She came so close... ah, you know she used to work here," Callie's hands suddenly slipped, causing Mr. Hahn to gasp in pain, "Oh god, I'm sorry. Just slipped," she said quickly. Robert swallowed and nodded, continuing, "She...used to work here. Erica. Did you ever meet her? You know, you kind of remind me of her." Callie hesitated, thinking of what to say. "Uhh...I might have met her once or twice. Who's to say? Anyway, your shoulder looks like it'll be just fine after surgery. So I'll send someone to get you prepped, and we'll see you in a little while, okay?" Mr. Hahn nodded slowly, sensing her strange behavior. "Well...okay then. Thank you... Dr. Torres." Callie nodded once, and made her exit.

As she was walking down the hall, she saw Yang making a direct B-line for her. "Oh god," Callie whispered to herself. Cristina stopped right next to Callie, muttering the words, "Consider this your official _warning._" After just those few words, she continued walking, leaving Callie speechless in the middle of the hallway.

Callie put her hand to her forehead, breathing deeply. "Ugh, I need Arizona," she thought to herself. She pulled her cell phone out of her lab coat pocket and sent her a text message that read: "Meet me in On-Call Room 2 ASAP. It's important." Then broke into a run to the room. 2 minutes later, she received a reply: "Be there soon." Callie sighed in relief, holding her cell phone close to her heart as she breathed deeply. Within 15 minutes, the blonde opened the door and closed it behind her, starting to put her hair up into a ponytail, "Okay, we're gonna have to make this a quickie 'cause I have another surgery in about 20 minutes." Callie laughed, almost considering the offer. "Arizona," she said, grabbing her wife by the arm, "I asked you to come here because I need to talk," Arizona tilted her head and chuckled a little embarrassed, "Oh...right, of course. What's up baby?" She said, sitting next to Callie on the bed.

Callie grabbed Arizona's hands and stroked them with her thumbs. She took a big breath and began, "Okay...well, I had a VIP patient when I came into work. No big deal, right? Wrong. I walk in there, and not only is it a retired cardiothoracic _God _that I'm supposed to fix_, _but it's also my ex-girlfriend's father. And he doesn't even know who I am, so I can't just freak out on him! And Yang just told me that Erica is _here_, like right now. And I panicked and hid in here, and texted you. What do I do, Arizona?" A smile curled the ends of Arizona's lips as she reached her hand over and rubbed Callie's back, "Well I think it's adorable that the first thing you thought to do was text me..." Callie laughed, "Come on, seriously... I'm freaking out here." Arizona nodded, "Yeah, I know. Even I'm a little weirded out. Well, I guess if you see her, just be nice? Or ignore her. Either way..." Callie sighed, "When she left, she didn't even say goodbye. I feel like I owe her nothing, not even my kindness." Arizona's bright blue eyes locked with Callie's, "I know, babe, but you're also the better person here. I'm not saying strike up a conversation with her, believe me...I'm just saying... be respectful, I guess. Not much else you can do. Take the best possible care of your patient, and then move on to the next case. Just like any other situation. Okay?" Callie nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right. Thanks babe. And don't worry about anything... you can trust me." Arizona smiled and tilted her head, "I know. I have absolutely no doubts about that," she said sweetly, leaning forward to kiss her wife's lips gently. "You're the most awesome wife ever... and I'm super lucky to have you." The blonde reminded her. Callie giggled shyly, "Not as lucky as I am," she chimed happily. They smiled into each other's eyes for a few moments before Arizona's pager went off, and she checked it. "Ugh, damn it. I'm sorry Calliope, I gotta run. Good luck with everything okay? Let me know how it goes." Callie nodded, "Okay, I will." With that, the blonde opened the door and took off at a run.

After a few minutes, Callie decided she needed to stop hiding like a pansy. She was hardcore, a badass, and an Ortho God. She knew that Mr. Hahn's surgery would be starting soon, and she hadn't eaten in a while, so she decided to head to the cafeteria for a snack.

Callie grabbed a bag of baked chips off the food cart, and an apple from the fruit bin. She sat down next to Addison and Alex at a table, and popped open her bag of chips, shoving one into her mouth and chewing loudly, clearly nervous. Addison stopped mid-conversation and raised her eyebrow over at Callie, "Um...you okay there?" Karev laughed, "Yeah, no kidding. You look like a cow who knows it's next in line for the slaughterhouse." Addison immediately shot a look at Alex, and Callie said offendedly, "Did you seriously just call me a cow?" Alex looked back and forth between the two women and said, "I meant like the way you're acting, not the way you look. Whatever. I'm out." He said as he stood up and left the table. Addison laughed and shook her head, "He's got _such _a way with words, huh?" Callie made an annoyed face, and continued eating her chips.

Addison cleared her throat, trying again to start a conversation, "So, uhh... I heard. About the VIP patient. You must be freaking out..." Callie chuckled once in a sick way, "Huh, yeah, that's the understatement of the year. Addie, I don't know what I'm doing here. What if she shows up and expects something from me?" Addison put her hand on Callie's shoulder, "In all honesty, you don't owe her anything." Callie threw up her hands in triumph, "Thank you! That's exactly what I told Arizona." The red-head's eyes widened, "You told Arizona?" Callie looked confused, "Yeah, of course I told Arizona. I don't want this crap messing with our relationship. We've already been through enough." Addison considered that fact, and remembered the past year. "Yeah, true. You're right. Probably for the best. Well, if I see her, I'll give you a heads up – Oh god. Don't turn around." Addison's voice turned to a whisper on the last part, as she looked past Callie, trying not to stare. Callie's heart started pounding in her chest as she tried to duck down as much as possible.

Erica Hahn entered the cafeteria and had grabbed a tray of food. She was dressed in regular civilian clothing, and her blonde hair curled down to her shoulders. She turned around to scan the room, looking for a place to sit. She saw a table with Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang: definitely out of the question, a spot next to Lexie Grey and a few interns: another no, several tables full of people she had no idea who they might be, and finally, her eyes rested upon a table with a red-head who was trying hard not to peek around the dark-haired woman in front of her. She immediately recognized Addison Montgomery, and respected her at least, so she made her way towards that table.

Addison grabbed Callie's hand, "Oh no. Oh no, oh no. She's on the move. She's coming closer. She's almost here, aaaaaand – so that's when I said, 'Get out of my O.R., and they had the gall to stand there and look at me all dumbfounded... deer in the headlights type of look!" Addison started pretending she was in the middle of a conversation. Callie fauxed interest, "Wow, you don't say?" She had always been a bad actress in times of panic. In her peripheral vision, she saw a body holding a tray. An all-too-familiar voice spoke, "Hello Dr. Montgomery. Mind if I have a seat?" Addison looked from Erica to Callie, then back to Erica. "Oh my goodness! Dr. Hahn! What a surprise! Um, of course, please...have a seat!" Erica sat down next to Addison, across from Callie, and for the first time, looked across from her at the face staring back at her. "Oh. OH. Callie! Wow! How long has it been?" She said, a huge grin plastered across her face. "A few years now, right? What have you been up to? God, you look great!" Callie was still registering the "a few years" part. It really had been a long time. So much had changed in her life since the moment when Erica Hahn left her standing outside the hospital, lost and confused. Callie suddenly snapped out of her trance, and cleared her throat, "Heeeeeey. Yeah, wow. I'm doing great... I'm-I'm great! I'm sorry about your father. I'm actually one of the surgeons on his team... I'm be repairing his shoulder." The only thing that Callie could focus on was the medicine. Erica took a bite of her salad and nodded, "Yeah," she swallowed, "I've been like a chicken with its head cut off. But I'm glad you'll be in there, at least there's some comfort in that." Callie forced a smile and nodded. The silence was growing awkward, with only the sounds of crunching and chewing filling the table. Addison cleared her throat again, not sure how this was going to go over, but decided to throw it out there anyway, "So...Erica, did you know that Callie is married, now?" Erica's wide eyes went from Addison's to Callie's, who was giving Addison the death stare. Erica laughed slightly and then tilted her head, "_Really? _Well, I guess congratulations are in order then. That's lovely." Callie smiled, "Thank you. I'm really happy...she's great." Erica stopped mid-chew, her mouth slightly open, and looked up, "She? So you ended up staying aboard the vagina train, huh? Well, that's...I'm happy for you, Torres." Addison butted in again, "Technically, it's Torres-Robbins, now. Since everyone insisted on calling me Montgomery-Shepherd when I was married to Derek. That was _the _longest name I have ever heard." Callie crunched into her chip harshly, staring at Addison with hateful eyes. Addison laughed, "Well, I think I've done enough here. It's been good to see you again Erica. My best wishes go out to your father." Erica smiled, "Thank you, Dr. Montgomery." Addison promptly left the table, and Erica turned again to Callie.

"Robbins? As in Arizona Robbins? Also as in the heads of pediatric surgery? The one with roller skates and the bubbly personality and the dimples?" Erica asked in disbelief, "Really?" Callie clenched her teeth, "Yes, really," she forced out, "I love her more than anything. She makes me happier than anyone _ever _has," she said, putting extra emphasis on the 'ever'. "And," Callie continued, "It just so happens that everything you listed just then are my favorite things about her. So, you can be incredulous all you want." Erica sat back and crossed her arms, "Well, okay then. At least the blonde thing stuck. That's literally the only thing I understand here." Callie crushed her empty bag of chips and sat forward, getting ready to leave, "Well, it's been great to catch up with you, Dr. Hahn. I have to go into surgery now, but I'm sure we'll keep you updated." Erica hesitated, but then nodded, "All right. Keep me posted. And, just so we're clear, Callie... we're not finished here. I'd like to talk again, if you don't mind." Callie stood up to leave, and stopped. "Yeah, okay. Maybe tomorrow." Erica nodded, and Callie left to get scrubbed in for Mr. Hahn's surgery.

_But the thing about change, is that after all this time... you wonder if the small things that happened and made you who you are today hadn't happened, if you'd still be in the same situation as you are right now. Small decisions lead to bigger ones, and without them, we could have ended up in a completely different life. Sometimes that leads to 'what if' and regret, but most of the time, it just makes you thankful for the mistakes you made and learned from. _

**I figured you guys deserved a longer chapter after the long hiatus. I will try to update again soon. Let me know what you think! I appreciate all reviews, they keep me motivated. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so I've been suffering from serious writer's block lately, and I'm trying to push myself to finish this story because you all deserve it! I apologize again for the long wait, but let's not hesitate another minute. Thank you again for all the reviews and favorite story alerts! **

**Chapter 10 **

_ Awkward. It's a word that is often over-used and associated with being so far out of your comfort zone, that a word had to be invented for it. It could be a situation, a look, a conversation, a relationship, or any other number of things. But you never really realize what it actually means until you're in the most awkward situation you've ever been in. It varies from person to person, but once it hits you, you'll never misuse the word again. _

After leaving the cafeteria, Callie was walking briskly to the O.R. to get scrubbed in for Mr. Hahn's surgery, but she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to tell Arizona how it went with Erica. She merged to one side of the hallway and leaned against a wall as she pulled out her cell phone and texted her wife,

"I just saw Erica in the cafeteria. She sat down with Addie and I, trying to talk to me. She didn't believe that I was married to you, but I set her straight. She wants to talk more tomorrow. Maybe you should come with me?" Callie knew it was a lengthy text for a fast-moving surgeon to have time to read, but she didn't care at that moment, and hit send. She slid her phone back into her pocket, and resumed on her path to the O.R.

In the scrub room, Callie put on her red and pink scrub crap, (the one that reminded her of Arizona) and began washing her hands. She felt a slight buzz in her pocket and read the reply:

"Are you serious? She sure has some balls to be even mentioning me. Sure, if you are comfortable with it, I'd be happy to come and support you. Or rub it in her face. Either way. :)"

Callie laughed to herself and shook her head, briefly replying, "Ok, TY babe. Heading into surgery. Talk to you soon." and put her phone away. It was only then that she realized she had to wash her hands over again and murmured a few curse words out loud.

At that moment, Dr. Webber entered the room and gave Callie a sideways glance, unsure of what to say. "Um... so you're sure you're okay with performing this surgery, Torres?" Callie raised her eyebrow and looked at him with disbelief, "Oh, _now _you're asking me how I feel about it? That's so considerate of you Dr. Webber. Yes, I'm sure that I'm completely able and willing to do this surgery. Thanks so much for asking, sir." With that, she held up her hands in a sterile manner, and backed into the door to the operating room, opening it with her backside. Richard just sighed and continued scrubbing. Owen and Cristina were already in there, making small talk with the patient before he was to be put under anesthesia. But as Webber, the last surgeon on the case, was making his way into the room, the anesthesiologist proceeded to put the patient to sleep. As he dozed off, Dr. Hunt leaned over to Callie in a confidential way and whispered, "Just for the record, they wanted Erica up in the gallery. I told them it'd be a bad idea... for multiple reasons." Callie, slightly confused at Owen's intentions yet still appreciating the help, offered a smile and whispered back, "Thank you.."

Several minutes passed, and after Callie had popped Robert's shoulder back into place, she was checking the mobility of the arm as she asked out loud to anyone willing to answer, "So what happened to him, anyway?" Cristina jumped to reply, "He fell down a flight of stairs because he had a heart attack. Dislocated his shoulder, and upon entering the hospital, we found he had a pretty significant heart murmur. The valves were leaking so badly that now we're doing a valve replacement." Callie nodded and pursed her lips under her surgical mask. After she had confirmed that his shoulder was good to go, she backed away slightly, "Okay, well my job's done here. Unless you guys need anymore help from this Ortho god, I'm gonna scrub out." Hunt chuckled and waved his hand playfully at her, "Go on, get outta here. Good work, Dr. Torres." Callie nodded and scrubbed out, pulling her mask off quickly as she left the room. She placed her hands on the cold metal of the sink in front of her, and leaned over it, breathing deeply. She kept telling herself, "This is all over, I don't have to deal with it anymore," but she knew deep down, it wasn't really over. Not until the dreaded conversation with Erica tomorrow was over with. On the upside, this had been a pretty quick and easy surgery for her. She wasn't sure why everyone was praising her like she had just built an arm out of sticks and paperclips, but then again, she could probably guess why. Since she had some time, she decided to go visit her dad, who hadn't quite been discharged yet.

Callie knocked gently on Carlos' room door, and heard a faint, "Come in!" She opened the door and peeked her head in, seeing her father's smiling face. He reached his arms out, almost like a small child asking for an embrace, "Ahh, come here, mija!" Callie closed the door behind her and walked towards Carlos, leaning down and carefully hugging him. "Hey, daddy. How are you feeling today?" Carlos swayed his head from side to side, as if judging his measure of pain for the day, "Ehh, not too bad. I've been worse. I have missed you! Do you know how boring it can get in here, watching reruns of soap operas and eating jello for so long?" Callie giggled at her father, slightly relieved that his sense of humor had not left him in his incident. "Oh, I know, believe me. After my accident, I was about to throw the TV out the window and I can't tell you how many times I saved up jello, not to eat, but to play with! I was so bored." They both laughed in unison, and Carlos held his stomach as his laughter grew deeper, "Oh.. oh that's a good idea!" He said between laughs. Eventually, the hysterics died down, and they caught their breath. There was a brief silence in the air as Callie debated in her head how to ask the question that she had come here to ask in the first place.

"Daddy... I need your advice on something," Callie began, "And I know you may not want to help, but you're my father, and I need some fatherly wisdom right now. Okay?" Carlos narrowed his eyes and nodded, "Okay.." Callie settled herself on his bed. "So, as you know, I'm married to Arizona..." as she said this, Carlos shifted slightly uncomfortably in his bed, and Callie noticed, stopping briefly, "Dad. Just bare with me... but, one of my ex's is in the hospital, right now. I just performed surgery on their dad." She was trying to avoid using pronouns like "she" and "her" because Carlos had never known that she dated Erica, and didn't want to make the situation worse. "Anyway, my ex started talking to me in the cafeteria, and said that they wanted to talk to me again tomorrow. And I told Arizona, and she wants to come with me. Do you think that's a horrible idea? Because I can see how it would probably go horribly, but then again, I kinda wanna rub it in my ex's face. That's probably also horrible. But they just left me! With no goodbye! Nothing!" Callie was rambling now, something that she had subconsciously gotten from Arizona. Carlos held up his hand, signaling Callie to stop talking, "Slow down, sweetie! Let me get a word in, here. After all, you are asking for _my _advice, right?" Callie sighed and nodded, "Yes, sorry." Carlos exhaled deeply and clasped his hands together in a thoughtful manner. "Well," he started, "It might be slightly... strange. To have both of them in the same room, I mean... especially to talk. But, on the other hand, you have every right to bring Arizona to the conversation. She is your wife, after all. If your... ex... has a problem with this, well then that's _her _problem." Callie's eyes widened when her father said 'her'. "Um, what? How do you know I'm talking about a girl?" Carlos chuckled, "Calliope, I'm your father. I know these things." Callie shook her head, "You're good. Thanks, daddy. You're right... I am entitled to bring my wife for support. Even if it might end up being weird." Carlos smiled, "Yes, mija. But be careful. Vengefulness doesn't wear well on young ladies for very long." Callie agreed, "I know. I just want this one thing. I just want her to see what she gave up on all those years ago, and how happy I am now. Because I am... so very happy, dad." Carlos nodded slightly and sighed, "I know...I know. And I guess... if you're happy, then I am, too. You are entitled to a happy life, despite my disagreements with your lifestyle." Callie leaned forward and kissed his cheek, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. Those words mean more to me than you'll ever know." Suddenly, Callie looked around, "Hey, wait. Where's mama?" Carlos put a finger to his lips and shushed her, "Shhh, not so loud. I don't want the nurses to notice and start asking questions. I told her to go and sneak me in some real food. I can't stand this hospital garbage anymore!" Callie laughed but grabbed her father's hand, "_Daddy,_" she playfully berated, "You need to watch what you eat from now on! Why do you think you had that heart attack in this first place?" Carlos groaned, "Oh, I know, I know. Believe me... your mom may do me some favors, but she'll probably bring me back some kind of low-fat diet meal. But, it's better than this stuff." He said, pointing at his bowl of unrecognizable liquid-food that the hospital provided. Callie tilted her head to the side in a slight nod, "Yeah... you're right about that," she agreed, pushing the bowl away with a single finger, disgustedly, and tossing it into the trash.

Callie glanced at the clock, it was late, and her shift was over. "Well, I better get home. I wanted to cook dinner for Arizona tonight and she'll be getting off in an hour. I love you, daddy. I'm sure you'll be discharged within a day or two, so hang in there." Carlos smiled, "I love you too. Be careful tomorrow, I'd hate to see something come in the way of your happiness, Calliope." His daughter gave him a single nod and smile, and left the room, headed for home. She was running through the recipe she had in mind through her head, and was trying to remember if they had cooking oil at home. But no matter how she tried, the creeping worry and doubt about tomorrow's conversation kept sneaking into her thoughts.

No matter what she did, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was setting herself up for a very awkward situation.

_But for whatever reason, our feelings will usually overshadow the possibility of awkwardness. 'We'll get our feelings out,' we assure ourselves, or 'At least they'll know.' We try to comfort ourselves with the fact that, despite the awkward tendency of most uncomfortable situations, that we'll be better off for them. And perhaps we will. But it all depends on how far you're willing to go. _

**So this was mainly a filler chapter to add a little information and anticipation, because I realized that I hadn't really followed up on Carlos' status. Anyway, next chapter will be the conversation with Erica, and we'll see how Arizona and Erica act around each other. Please review! I appreciate it so much! **


	11. Chapter 11

** Hey everyone! Sorry about the Chapter 9/10 mix up earlier... but I fixed it and hopefully not too many people noticed my screw up! Lol.. I felt so stupid. XD Anyway, I decided to write another chapter while I'm on a roll here, so here ya go! Enjoy.**

**Chapter 11**

_Nerves are a whitish fiber that transmit impulses of sensation to the brain or spinal cord, and then impulse from there to the muscles or organs. But it could also be used in different ways, "You're getting on my last nerve," some might say, or "You sure have some nerve talking to me like that!" And then of course, there is the common feeling of being nervous... when every possible sensation feels as if it's set on edge. There's no cure, there's no helping it... it's a natural feeling that you just have to ride out. _

The next morning, Arizona woke up first. She glanced behind her slightly, and a small smile played along her lips, revealing her dimples. Callie's arms were tightly secure around the blonde's waist, and their legs were intertwined, with Callie's face buried into Arizona's back. The awake woman decided that she didn't have anything to do, and just laid there, enjoying being in her wife's arms.

After about 10 minutes, Arizona's cell phone alarm suddenly started ringing, causing the blonde to curse profusely, jumping to grab it and silence it before it could do any harm to Callie's sleep. It was too late. Callie rolled awake, groaning slightly and rubbing her eyes, "What was thaaat?" she moaned in slight annoyance, Arizona sighed, "I'm sorry babe, I forgot to turn my alarm off from yesterday. Go back to sleep, sweetie." Callie shook her head, "No, it's too late, you already woke me up!" she said, playfully mad. She grinned and rolled back over towards Arizona, grabbing her torso and pulling her towards her, "Now you're _really _in trouble!" she threatened, starting to tickle her wife in her most ticklish spots. Arizona yelped and giggled, rolling around and trying to get away from the stronger woman's hold. She managed to wriggle away and pin down Callie's arms above her head, "Gotcha!" the blonde proudly announced. Callie wouldn't tell her that she had let Arizona win this time. "So it would seem..." Callie said with faux defeat in her tone, then raised her eyebrow and asked, "So what's my punishment?" Arizona pursed her lips and shifted her head side to side as she thought about it, "Hmmm. How about this?" she said sweetly as she leaned forward slowly, placing a few lingering kisses along Callie's neck, leading a path up to her jawline, nibbling gently there, and then kissing her lips passionately, letting her tongue separate Callie's lips, entering her mouth and twisting with hers. Callie's arms still pinned above her head, she broke away from the kiss momentarily and said, "Oh, now you're just being a tease, not letting me touch you." Arizona nodded, "This _is _called punishment, is it not?" Callie pouted slightly and settled with lacing her fingers through her wife's and holding them tightly. Arizona, currently straddling Callie's body, began grinding her hips against the other woman's, ever so slightly, causing a soft moan to escape Callie's lips. "You better finish what you've started," Callie remarked, causing Arizona's bright blue eyes to make contact with the deep brown ones in front of her, "I intend to," is all she said, letting go of one of Callie's hands, bringing it to her wife's face in a gentle caress to accompany another long kiss.

The couple made passionate love over the next 45 minutes, taking it slow and making sure every inch of skin was attended to and given ample attention. Callie secretly loved it when Arizona was the dominant one, since Callie usually was. Consequently, Callie was the first one to reach climax, and Arizona took deep pleasure in that fact alone.

Afterwards, they showered together, which ended up being 15 minutes longer than necessary, due to the fact that the two women couldn't keep their hands off each other for very long, especially when wet and steamy.

Callie, wrapped in a towel, stepped out of the bathroom and was grabbing the blow dryer as she commented, "Well, at this rate, we're gonna have to just eat cereal for breakfast... we've spent all our extra time before work making out, soooo... I won't have time to make anything." Arizona giggled, wrapping her hair up in a towel, "That's fine... this is why we buy the cereal in the first place. Also, you don't always have to cook for me, Calliope... I love it, but I can cook sometimes too, ya know!" Callie chuckled, "That's what you said last time, and then you ended up burning the pancakes. Which was hilarious, by the way." Arizona's mouth twisted into a pout, "That was _one _time, and I wasn't used to your kitchen!" They laughed together, and continued getting ready for work.

As they walked up to the hospital, Callie realized for the first time since last night just how nervous she was. She stopped abruptly before the doors, and Arizona was caught off guard, having to turn around and face her wife, knowing exactly what was stopping her. "Hey," she said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's going to be okay. I'll be there the whole time, there's nothing she can say that will scare me off, nothing to make me change my mind about you. About us. And besides, we've gotten through hell together... the car accident, your dad's incident, and so much more. Don't worry, okay?" Callie's eyes went back and forth between Arizona's comforting eyes and the hospital doors. There was no way she could resist those striking blue eyes... they were like the ocean. Hypnotizing, mesmerizing, and breathtakingly beautiful. Callie nodded her head at last, "Okay," she breathed, taking her wife's hand, and entering the hospital.

After entering and changing into their scrubs, they both had a little time before rounds, so they walked to the nurse's desk together, hoping to maybe find Mark Sloan or Teddy Altman to converse with. What they found, however, was just what they had been dreading. Erica Hahn was leaning against the desk, talking with Mark Sloan... catching up, Callie assumed. For this, Callie would have to scold Mark about later. The last thing she wanted was Erica working her way back into her life, especially through her best friends. When Erica spotted Callie out of the corner of her eye, she turned and waved a little, "Hey, Torres," she started, then saw Arizona next to her, and just kind of nodded her head in awkward acknowledgement, "Robbins." Callie's eyes were subconsciously wide, and she just stood there with her hands in her pockets, "Hello," she said. Mark grabbed his charts and added grotesquely, "If you three end up having a threesome, be sure to let me know." Callie gave him the death stare and promptly said, "_Goodbye_, Mark." He laughed, and turned to leave.

Erica walked over closer to the couple, "So, how about that talk, Callie?" The dark-haired woman blew the air out that she had been holding, and rocked on her heels, "Um, yeah sure. Arizona will be accompanying us, hope you don't mind." Although it was clearly evident on Hahn's face that she did in fact mind, she just clasped her lips together and nodded, "Not at all," she said, almost through clenched teeth. A small smirk appeared on Arizona's face as Callie led the three women to a conference room nearby.

Arizona and Callie sat side-by-side, and Erica sat across from them. Callie was suddenly pissed. Pissed that Erica would put her in this position, pissed that she was giving Arizona a dirty look, and pissed that Arizona had to feel awkward. In this state of agitation, she initiated the conversation, "Okay, so what's this all about, Erica?" The taller blonde folded her hands together and looked from Arizona, then to Callie, "Well. First off, I wanted to thank you for helping with my father's surgery. I want you to know that when I heard he was coming to Seattle Grace, I called the Chief and requested you as his orthopedic surgeon." So that's why Richard was walking on egg-shells around her, Callie thought to herself. "And," Erica continued, "I also wanted to..." she glanced at Arizona, unsurely, "to apologize." Callie furrowed her brow, "Apologize? For...what?" Erica sighed, "For leaving you the way I did. Not saying goodbye. It was all very childish, I realize now. And I'm sure I hurt you, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for that." Under the table, Arizona placed a hand on Callie's thigh and gently squeezed in support. Callie took a moment to collect her thoughts, then looked up at the blonde across from her, "Okay..." she finally said, "I'm a big enough person that I will forgive you, Erica. But let me just say, that I got over you, very quickly. When I realized how incredibly selfish you were... not only to me, but to everyone. To my friend Cristina... you didn't teach her anything, at all. And for what? So you didn't re-live your own residency through her? And the minute that something didn't go your way, you left. You couldn't take it, and that doesn't just make you selfish, but it also makes you childish. And I realized very soon after you left, that I didn't need anyone so extremely childish in my life. However, I accept your apology. You're forgiven." Erica swallowed hard, and was angry now, "_Childish? _You have the nerve to call ME childish?" She said, holding out her hand, pointing to Arizona, "What about her? The blonde on roller skates? The one who's constantly perky and spends her day reciting baby talk to three-year-olds?" Arizona's jaw dropped, crossing her arms as she begins to speak, "Excuse me, but I –" she was cut off by Callie, "No, baby, don't defend yourself against her. You don't deserve to be talked to that way, and you definitely do not owe her an explanation." Callie stood up, placing her hands on the table in front of her and leaning over, getting inches away from Erica's face, "Listen to me," she said threateningly, "I'm glad your dad's okay. Believe me, I know what it's like to have your dad hurt and in the hospital, but that does _not _give you the right to walk around this hospital like it owes you something. Like the people in it should bow at your feet and praise the 'almighty Erica Hahn.'" She said the last part with sarcastic air quotes. Erica laughed condescendingly, "Oh, okay," she said, rolling her eyes, "You know, Torres, you're kinda hot when you're angry," she remarked with a smirk. Arizona couldn't hold back this time, "Oh, shut up, ya blonde orc." Callie couldn't keep a snicker from escaping her, and Erica tilted her head, "Hey look, the 12-year-old can talk!" Callie stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, "If you say one more thing about my wife, I will personally have you and your father escorted, and transferred to another hospital. Now, during your remaining time here, don't talk to me or Arizona... don't look at us, don't even _think _about us. Are we clear?" Arizona stood up next to Callie, placing her hand on the small of Callie's back. Erica started to talk, but Callie held up her hand, "Ah! I don't want to hear it. Now, I wish your father a speedy recovery. Goodbye, Erica. For good." As the two women opened the door to leave, Erica laughed to herself, "Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me." Callie exited the room, with Arizona behind her. But before the blonde left, she peeked her head back around the door and stated, "And just for the record, my heelies make me hardcore, not childish. I'd like to see your giant feet skate around this hospital without falling on your ass!" Before a reply could be given, Arizona marched out of the conference room with her head held high.

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and ran with her to the nearest on-call room, and closed the door behind her. They both bust into fits of laughter, doubling over and holding their stomachs. Callie sat down on one of the beds and wiped tears of humor out of her eyes, as Arizona giggled continuously, "Oh my god," she said between laughs, "That was the most hilarious thing..." she inhaled sharply, "I've ever seen!" Callie nodded, still cracking up, and managed to squeak out, "I know! Wheeewww.." As they started to catch their breath, Arizona sat down next to Callie on the bed, "See? That wasn't half as bad as you thought it'd be." Callie looked up into the blonde's eyes and grabbed her face, kissing her lovingly. The dark-haired woman sighed happily, "I love you so much, Arizona," she said with a grin plastered across her face, Arizona nodded ever so slightly, and looked back into her wife's eyes, "I love you, too."

_When the nerves are finally gone, when all that remains is relief, that's when you realize that there really wasn't much to be nervous about in the first place. Our minds over-think things, make them seem scarier than they really are. All you have to do is take a deep breath, and get it over with. _

** Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think! I might write one last chapter, since I can't really think of where else this story could possibly go. If you guys have any ideas or suggestions, let me know! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! So there is literally no justifiable excuse that I can use to explain why it has taken me sooo long to update this last chapter. All I can say is that I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much for the continuing support! **

**Chapter 12**

_Grudges are held for a number of reasons. Primarily, because it's easy. It's easy to stay mad and play the victim... at least, it's a hell of a lot easier than admitting there was a problem. Instead, we as people tend to somewhat forgive, but never forget. _

Callie trudged through the entrance doors to the hospital, carrying her purse and other necessities in her arms. The previous night had been hell, being on-call while trying to catch up on sleep that she had lost in the past few days. It was about noon, and a surprisingly sunny day in Seattle.

She was headed to the employee locker room. Upon arriving at her locker, she opened it and was confused to find a white paper taped to the inside of the door. She set her purse inside the locker, then grabbed the paper, her first thought being "Who the hell opened my locker?" She hadn't given anybody her combination since...

The note read, "Torres,  
>Surprised that I still remember your locker combo? Me too, actually. I wanted to be the first to tell you that I'll be transferring my father from Seattle Grace for his recovery period, so you won't be seeing me around anymore. Despite our verbal altercation the other day, I wanted to let you know that it was really good seeing you again. I realized that I shouldn't have left you all those years ago. I made a mistake, and now I'm paying the price for it. I see that you're happy, and I won't be doing anything to interfere with that happiness any longer. Thank you again for your assistance in my father's surgery. I wish you the best for the future. This is me saying... goodbye. -Erica Hahn."<p>

Callie looked up from the note, and smirked. She murmured to herself as she folded the paper and threw it into her locker, "At least the bitch said goodbye this time.." She changed into her scrubs, put her lab coat on, then slammed close her locker door, heading out for rounds.

As she walked the hallways, she felt a strange sense of relief emanating from herself. For so many years now, she had this pent up anger about Erica. Although she had no feelings for the woman anymore, it had still pissed her off that she was treated the way she was. Being able to show Erica how happy she was without her _and _making her finally say goodbye was killing two birds with one stone and lifted the world of tension off her conscience. Callie had always wondered if it was something she had done...and now she could very clearly see that it wasn't at all.

On her rounds, she stopped by her father's hospital room. She grabbed the chart that was outside the room, and saw that Carlos had been discharged the night before. Relieved that her dad was finally back at home, she continued her rounds.

Between two of her patients' rooms, she spotted a bubbly blonde purchasing a coffee from a snack cart. Callie smiled to herself as she snuck up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She deepened her voice playfully as she spoke, "Excuse me, Dr. McDimples?" Arizona turned around in confusion, her brow furrowed and her eyes narrow, a small smile on her lips with her dimples on display, "McDimples? Really?" She bemused, laughing a little. The blonde leaned towards Callie and kissed her gently on the cheek, "How are you?" Callie groaned and shifted her weight slightly, crossing her arms, "Tired. But what else is new?" Arizona offered her the coffee in her hands, "Mm, coffee? It's your favorite." Callie's eyes widened as she willingly accepted, "Yes. Thanks.." she said, taking a long sip before handing it back.

Callie suddenly remembered, "Oh! You'll get a kick out of this. Erica's gone. She transferred her dad out of Seattle Grace." Arizona raised her eyebrows, "No way? I guess we slew the orc... that didn't take too long." They laughed together for a moment, before Arizona continued, "Okay, that was a little mean. But I'm just mad about how she left things with you. It was just... you didn't deserve that." Her blue eyes gave Callie a sympathetic look. The brunette nodded, "Yeah, well... she said goodbye this time. So... I'm gonna let it all go. Forget about it...I don't have the energy to actively hate her guts anymore." Arizona nodded and smiled softly while Callie took a step forward, taking hold of Arizona's free hand, "Besides.." Callie continued, "I could care less about that anymore... I have something so much better to care about.." she remarked sweetly, stroking the top of Arizona's hand with her thumb. The couple smiled at each other lovingly, as they both leaned forward in unison to kiss each other on the lips. Arizona grinned widely, "I love you, babe. I'll see you tonight?" Callie nodded. "You definitely will. But for now, I need to finish my rounds. Just wanted to give you an update." Arizona smiled, "Thanks... I'm glad you're feeling better about it all." Callie sighed with relief, "Me too..." she gave her wife one last kiss, then whispered, "And...I love you, too." With that, she turned around and headed to the next patient's room.

The following weeks were much better than the past few had been. Carlos made a full recovery and began eating healthier, which Callie attributed to her mother's strict diet for him and her own avid praying. The anxiety of the car accident began slipping further and further away from both Callie and Arizona's minds, allowing them to move forward in their lives with little to no difficulty in that regard. Erica Hahn never made another attempt to contact Callie or Arizona, but they did briefly catch glimpse of each other at a medical conference many years down the road.

Most importantly of all, Callie and Arizona's relationship was stronger than ever after having endured what seemed to be hell's most daunting obstacles. The love between them blurred the line of their comfort zones, pushing them to their individual limits many times, but seeing through it every time – together, side-by-side. No matter what challenges they were to face in the future, they were ready.

_In most situations involving a grudge, _i_t's best to just let go. Forget what's holding you back, and embrace what helps move you forward. Remember...nobody said life was going to be easy. Easy is just too... comfortable. _

**The End.**

**Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate all reviews/favorites, etc. I hope you enjoyed the fanfic! I tried to wrap it up the best I could, especially after so much time had passed after writing the previous chapter. **


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